Fire and Ice
by AriaxCantabile
Summary: When a fateful meeting brings sisters Ayame and Kiame's lives to a screeching hault-the twins find they need to make some critical decisions... - ON-GOING/ItachixOC & SasukexOC/R&R! :D -STARTS AFTER CHUNIN EXAM-ANIME & MANGA BASED-
1. Chapter 1: The Beautiful Nightmare

**Chapter 1: The Beautiful Nightmare**

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><p>AN: So, first chapter of my O.C. Naruto story '<em>Fire and Ice.<em>' This story follows Ayame and Kiame, twin sisters from Konoha. Each portion is separated by different prov's from the girls, other characters, etc...This story is also a continuation/explanation of Ayame, from my story '_My Valentine_' _ _s/10572194/1/My-Valentine_

At the end of this page, I'll post a little about the girls so those interested can see. :) Well, uhm, I hope you guys like it! R & R please! :D

_~Aria_

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><p><em>I try to run away,<br>__from the pain,  
><em>_from the world.  
><em>_But as I do so,  
><em>_your voice rings through my head  
><em>_and breaks through all reason;  
><em>_telling me to stay._

_So I stop, _  
><em>and turn back…<em>  
><em>Knowing that one day,<br>__we can run away with this pain together._

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><p><strong>-Ayame's prov. -<strong>

The world around me was so silent, it was almost sickening. There was no sun, only a dark, sickly looking moon. That was odd, just a few minutes ago I was lying in my room…ah, must be another dream…I sighed.

The sky was painted an ominous shade of gold with bloody red clouds circling around its center. I rolled my head to the side; ancient trees surrounded the clearing I now laid in, forming a huge castle-like barrier of oak and leaves, with long gross looking vines hanging down from the withered branches. I watched in awe as the breeze rustled the upper canopies, causing a pair of dead leaves to fall gracefully to the floor below. The scene they created was so beautiful, it was almost as if I were watching a pair of dancers glide through on the dance floor; dipping, twirling then gently bowing as they departed on the grassy floor.

Taking a deep breath, I allowed myself to relax. For once, the nightmares of my family had subsided. Instead, I was embraced by a wondrously chilling dream of, seemingly, nothing. A feeling of security washed over me. Finally, I felt like I could let myself rest, r_elax._  
>Simply put, I felt at peace. After twelve years of suffering through murderous and blood filled dreams, I was, at last, having a calm and peaceful rest; and it was a rest I was going to revel in.<p>

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><p><strong>-Akatsuki Base, Kimigaugkre, 23:06<strong>**-**

"Itachi, have you located the objectives?" Pain asked, pausing briefly before the Uchiha. Itachi sat in a chair, encircled by the remaining members of the Akatsuki, eyes closed and hands held before his face in a prayer-like stance.

"No." He answered, somewhat annoyed.

"This is so pointless..." A voice complained.

"Silence, Hidan." Pain ordered, continuing his pacing around the room.

"I don't see how these girls we are trying to locate could possibly compare to the Jinchuriki we've been tracking down. Besides, Zetsu could have found them more efficiently than Itachi." Surrounding members agreed with Hidan's assumptions, "This mission is a waste of our efforts and goddamn t-"

Pain raised his hand, cutting off his statement. "You have spoken out of term, Hidan. This mission," He glanced around to each member, glaring. "I assure all of you, is of great significance."

"Hidan-sama does has a point," Deidara cut in, "Zetsu could have already located and captured these girl's in question, hmmm."

"Indeed, Zetsu would be ideal for an assignment of this caliber, but Itachi's Sharingan makes him useful for communicating with the targets through means other than confrontation." Pain explained, "This is the safest way to go about connecting with our targets; we cannot afford to let them discover our location, be it Zetsu failed. It's an unlikely scenario, but it still remains a possibility. They are both of high ranking shinobi lineage, it's too risky sending one member to take care of two targets. Not to mention the rescue group they are sure to send after their attempted kidnapping."

Deidara bowed his head. "..Just saying, un."

"I've found them." Itachi announced, opening his eyes.

"Well done, proceed with stage one." Pain replied.

-"Understood."

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><p><strong>-Ayame's prov. -<br>**

The silent breeze suddenly picked up, whipping my hair around my face. I rose from my burrow in the grass, abruptly startled by the sight before me. All of the wondrous and mighty trees that had once towered over me were now leafless and shriveled; the grass had become brittle and yellow, breaking at my touch; and the sky was pitch black, the once golden moon replaced with a sinister looking lunar eclipse. One dream in twelve years that resembled peace, and now it was starting to fall apart…

I closed my eyes, silently hoping that I could wake myself. When I opened my eyes once more, it appeared as if the morbid display before me had only gotten worse. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sickly black ravens now filled the limbs of the rotting trees, their scarlet eyes watching me from all positions; unblinking, and unwavering. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of one of the birds taking flight, its tattered wings growing larger and more blade-like with each and every stroke.

It then raced by me; one of its razor-like talons slicing the flesh of my cheek. Hot, metallic liquid instantly seeped from the wound, spilling down my face. The raven then circled above me, waiting for my next move. I inched backwards, trying to escape its next attack. But it followed, now joined by several others. I lifted my hands up to protect my face and snapped my eyes shut, attempting to shield myself from the bloodshed that was surely awaiting me...But again, it was useless.

They swarmed me, their beaks and claws digging into the exposed flesh on my arms and legs. I could feel the blood being drained from my veins, though the adrenaline kept me feeling awake and alert. A familiar feeling of loneliness seeped through the pain and began to bring me back to reality. I was alone again; no one would be here to wake me from the bloody onslaught, no one would come to my aid and keep me from experiencing that familiar feeling of dying, then waking in my room covered in sweat-just me, me and the ravens...Hmm, speaking of ravens… I opened my eyes; the attacks had stopped? Moving my head to the side, I noticed that a puddle of blood had now formed around my body, causing the surrounding grass and leaves to stick to my already damp skin.

I growled and bit my lower lip to fight back the pain. This was one hell of a dream... Using what little strength I could muster, I averted my gaze to the other side of the forest. The ravens had flown over to the opposite side of the clearing; and from the looks of it, it appeared as though they were joining together. At first they seemed to simply be a pit of growing darkness, swirling and cawing at each other; but slowly, gradually, they began to morph into a figure. A man..? From the looks of it anyway...

He had cropped black hair, a crimson band holding the longer portions back against the nape of his neck. Dark shadows clung, like his bangs, to the definition of his pale face, outlining his high cheekbones and matching pair of tear troughs beneath his scarlet eyes. He wore a Konohagurke ninja protector across his forehead-though a deep gash was torn across the emblem, symbolizing a broken tie with the village-and a long black cloak adjourned with numerous red and white clouds.

"Who are you?" I whispered, darkness beginning to creep into my line of vision. Great, I was dying…

"..That is not of importance." His dark, monotonic voice answered.

'_Humph, so he's a smart mouth…' _I thought, "Then why are you here?"

"I am here to deliver a message to you."

-"...Not interested."

"Are you sure?" I could hear a hint of humor in his voice as he spoke. "Would you still say no even if it involved you and your sister, Kiame?"

I clenched my teeth, "I don't know who you're talking ab-"

-"We are coming for you and your sister, Ayame."

With my last bit of energy, I managed to ask, "Who?" But my consciousness had slipped away before I could hear his answer.

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><p><strong>-<strong>**-Kiame's Prov. -**

I was deep in the forest, as for what forest-I did not know, but an eerie silence hung all around it. I had just begun to take out my kunai, when suddenly a blur of light raced by my face. I looked up, relieved to see one of my blazing red chakra phoenixes soaring above my head. Instinctively, I tuned my second sight into the creature and followed its already predestined flight pattern over the treetops. There was no feeling in the world like that of soaring through the sky... Although I was not physically flying, my mind was so attuned to the phoenix that I could see through its eyes, feel what it felt-and it was amazing. I didn't have any humanly bound restrictions; I was the one looking down at the earth, I was the one soaring and screeching into the sky, I was the one who was free.

It swooped low, dipping into a clearing not far from where I stood, then veered back up into the sky. The scout then circled around the clearing again, interested by the two figures now inhabiting its center. Both figures were dressed in black cloaks that had a red and white cloud pattern on them; I could tell by their appearance, however, that one was a man, and the other a woman. One figure, the one closest to the tree line, was stretched out on the ground, possibly asleep. A twinge of recognition was brought up by his face, although I couldn't possibly guess why. Uninterested, the phoenix only lingered over him for a moment, and instead soared to the other figure.

She pushed a pair of long brown bangs away from her familiar face, and looked up at the scout. Recognition suddenly dawned on me. That was Ayame…That was my sister.

She smiled once, recognizing the creature, but the smile didn't quite seem to reach her eyes, in fact, she seemed almost…sad to see it. I tried to get my scout closer-so it could communicate with her-but before I had the chance to do so something extinguished my creature, sending my mind spiraling back into my body.

I woke with a gasp.

I quickly looked around at my new surroundings, trying to assess my situation: I was in my bed at home, sitting bolt upright, with sheets tangled around my legs and sweat covering my body-no longer in that creepy forest. I sighed and laid back against my pillows, trying to catch my breath. It had all been a dream: a very weird dream, albeit, but a dream all the same…

Then it hit me…where was Ayame?

I shoved my blankets off my legs and stood, walking out the door and down the hall to my sisters' room. I peered through the small crack she had left in her door and smiled, relieved. Her dark brown hair was fanned out across her pillow, and her blankets kicked to the floor. I held back the motherly urge to sneak into her room and fix what little cover she still, because I knew if I did it would wake her; Ayame had always been a light sleeper, after all. She suddenly mumbled something in her sleep as I pulled away from her door. I didn't need to tell her the events of my dream just yet; she deserved to have a good night's rest. I turned away and returned back to my room, strangely comforted by her presence.

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><p><strong>-Ayame's prov. -<strong>

My eyes shot open, quickly taking in the area around me. Half of me was fully expecting to find the same rotted clearing stretched out before me, but instead I was welcomed by the familiar scene of my bedroom.

I pushed myself up off my mattress and walked over to my dresser, kicking the last of my blankets off in the process, but was abruptly startled by the reflection staring back at me. My normally straight brown hair was wrapped in sweaty strips around my face, mostly clinging to my forehead and neck. The skin beneath my eyes was purple and black, and looked as though I had been punched in the face (probably caused by my lack of sleep this week)...The only thing I actually found _comforting_ about my parallel self was the fact that the gashes I had received during my dream hadn't carried over to reality.

I sighed and wiped away some sweat from my forehead. "You are fine, Ayame. Quit worrying." I mumbled, "You know that both you and Kiame will be just fine. It was just a weird dream, nothing to worry about…"

From the next room over, I could hear Kiame sleeping-well, snoring-blissfully unaware that her sister was listening. I smiled a little, she was so childish…Now, some of the general things one needs to understand about my sister is that she is a calm, harmonious being. She's generally the playful, talkative little sister that everyone pictures in dreams and fairy-tales…Unless you've gotten on her bad side, that's a different story entirely. I, on the other hand, am pretty much an overprotective, determined, smart-ass.  
>Boring, but that's the best description I can give you of myself.<p>

Kiame is a successful Jonin captain, newly appointed as of this year, and I'm an ANBU squad officer. Two totally different jobs, I know, but somehow we both make it work. Both of us grew up without knowing our mother; she died giving birth to the two of us, I believe her name was Izanami or something like that-no one ever seemed to know much about her, not when asked anyway. So, since we never knew our mother, or what country she hailed from, we grew up in the Azikuria household in Konoha, which was ruled under our father, Kioshi.

Though we had never known what happened to our mother, my father still saw fit to blame me for her death; thus, I was the disgrace of our clan. I looked like most of the members with our lineage; I had the build and appearance, save for my eyes and kekkei genkei-but even with these oddities, what reason was there for him to disown me?  
>Ah, but my sister on the other hand, was the family prodigy-the one true heir to the clan name and power. I was the protector and shadow, and Kiame held the glory of the successor. Anytime I would forget my place in the order of the clan, I would be reprimanded without intervention-a small detail Kiame never seemed to listen to (she tried to take half of my punishments on more than one occasion)-and in any way my father saw fit; beatings, starving periods, or times locked in a cell.<p>

All in all, our lives were ruled by one man, and it was a living hell up to the point he died. True, without him I may not hold the position I do now with work and things such as, but upon his passing we could finally be free of his tyranny. Kiame and I could finally get to know each other as sisters, no longer protector and successor.

I sighed again, pushing the painful memories of my past away. I needed to focus my mind on the matter at hand-the message.

_**"We're coming for you and you sister, Ayame."**_

What the heck was _that_ supposed to mean?

Someone who was coming after you would at _least_ have enough common sense not to tell you they were going to do so, wouldn't they? That would only give you time to defend yourself against their attack, send help...and that's too risky...Unless...They were already here, ready and waiting.

My heart suddenly jumped. They could be here-watching us, following us-just waiting for the opportune moment when they could catch the two of us off guard or by ourselves, and attack. The thought of that enraged me. If they were here, it would be because of me. It would be because I had let them slip by my ANBU squad's watch, because I had forgotten to double-check the border for security, or because I may have let my guard down while at home with my sister.

No. I couldn't have let that happen. There was no way...was there? I know I am only human, but still...

It was then that I noticed that the temperature in my room had suddenly fallen. I growled and glanced back at my mirror. Frost had now snaked up the glass and around the wooden frame, causing my reflection to become partially covered by ice. But through all that frost and ice-I could still see the purple glow of my kekkei genkei now engulfing my eyes. I clenched my teeth and stormed over to my window, almost breaking the pane with the force my hand exerted upon it, and leapt outside. Of all of the times my kekkei genkei could go haywire, it had to be now…The cool night breeze swept over me as I landed upon the ground. I took a long steadying breath, reveling in the nights chill, and broke out into a full blown run. At this point, I had to get away. If I didn't, I would lose control and risk hurting those around me, and I couldn't bear the thought of that...So I would go to the one place where I knew I could lose myself, where I could think and let go of it all-our training ground.

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><p>AN:<p>

**_Ayame Azikuria's BIO_**

**Age**: 17

**Weight**: 128 lbs

**Height**: 5"7

**Birthday**: December 11th

**Registration #:** 0000165937

**Rank/Status**: ANBU Captain/Jonin

**Paired w/**: Itachi Uchiha

**Appearance:**

Ayame has long, (falls to about mid-back) straight brunette hair, with jagged bangs that sweep over her left eye. Cropped layers are evident throughout her hair, starting from her cheekbones down to her shoulder blades (a few pieces stick out but still flip into her face) (links show pictures)... Ayame's eyes are normally a light blue, but, according to what stage her kekkei genkei are in, they will begin to glow purple.

**ATTIRE**: (age 15-17) Ayame wears a navy blue cut-off zip top (one sleeve (left)) over a black camisole and tank-top fishnet jumpsuit. For her bottoms, she wears a pair of baggy black Bermudas, ANBU boots w/ shin guards, and a white sash around her waist. On her arms, Ayame wears fingerless gloves, a black armband (right), and bandage wraps on her elbows. At this time, Ayame has three piercings in each ear (1 hoop in top, 1 stud and hoop in bottom) and a black ANBU tattoo on her right arm (customary for female members to be on right, rather than left).

**ANBU: **(Konohagurke) While in her ANBU attire, Ayame wears a tight, black halter jumpsuit with a dark red scarf tied around her neck (signaling her status as a capitan), her ANBU vest, black arm sleeves (tied at her biceps by bandages) with a pair of arm guards over top, black gloves, (somewhat) baggy black pants with a white sash around her waist, black boots with shin guards, and a sheath for her blades. (Ayame's ANBU mask is white, with slits for the eyeholes and a wolf-like snout and ears. Black kanji on the forehead reads "Rain", and a satin red tie attaches it to her face)

For those interested in what Ayame may look like, here are links- art/Ayame-Azikuria-471036022 _ art/Ayame-Azikuria-278046508 _ art/Ayame-Azikuria-s-Timeline-260181525

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><p><strong><em><span>Kiame Azikuria's BIO<span>_**

**Age**: 17

**Weight**: 132 lbs

**Height**: 5"7

**Birthday**: December 11th

**Registration #:** 00003643290

**Rank/Status**: Konohagurke Jonin

**Paired w/**: Sasuke Uchiha

**Appearance:**

Kiame has long, (falls to about mid-back) straight/swept brunette hair with jagged bangs that fall over her right eye. Cropped layers are evident throughout her hair, starting from her cheekbones down to her shoulder blades, but flip outwards at the roots of her hair (unlike Aya's). Kiame's eyes are normally a light green; however, according to what stage her kekkei genkei are in, a bright red-orange will begin to show.

**ATTIRE**: (age 15-17) Kiame wears an emerald green tank-top over a long-sleeve fishnet jumpsuit and the normal green jonin vest over that. For her bottoms, she wears a pair of khaki brown shorts, brown/black combat boots w/ multiple pockets for her weapons, and a white sash around her waist. On her arms, Kiame wears black/brown fingerless gloves, a silver clasp armband (left), and bandage wraps on her elbows with grey armguards on her forearms. At this time, Kiame has five piercings in each ear (2 hoops in top, 2 studs and 1 hoop in the bottom).

And Kiame - art/Ayame-and-Kiame-Azikuria-267601857 _ art/Fire-and-Ice-302025435

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><p>Thanks for reading everyone! :D Anonymous and regular reviews welcome, por favour :D<p>

~Aria


	2. Chapter 2: Uneasy Feelings

**Chapter 2: Uneasy Feelings**

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><p>AN: Hi peoples! :D new chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy, the plot begins to thicken in this one...O_O...oh yeah...lol. Anywho, I'll possibly be posting a new one-shot, specifically Itachi-based, soon and a new chapter as well...:) I hope everyone is enjoying this Fall weather! :D<p>

**...**

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><p><em>"One more night, I wanna be with you<em>

_Where I want to hold you tight-it feels so right_

_Tonight, I'll give it up to you_

_Cause I think the time is right, to stop the fight_

_For the night, I wanna be with you_

_Where I want to hold you tight-it feels so right_

_Tonight, I'll give it up to you_

_Cause I think the time is right, to stop the fighting now..."_

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><p><strong>-Kiame's Prov. -<strong>

I woke the next morning later than usual. I sighed and swept my hair away from my eyes, drowsy and groggy from the sunlight, when a sudden eerie feeling hit me. I couldn't feel Ayame's presence.

In spite of the fact that my sister was a light sleeper, she had this singular ability to sleep for days (sometimes even weeks), then go for about the same amount of time awake. It was as though her body could store the sleep for times when it was really needed, almost like hibernation, then stay awake when it felt fully restored or healed— a useful talent for a shinobi, a curse for anyone trying to live a normal life. I suppose that also contributes to her status as ANBU as well...However, Ayame's time asleep was almost always plagued with nightmares or sleepwalking, making her time awake all the harder on her.

I kicked off my blankets and rolled out of bed, trying to listen for Ayame—when I got no response, I grabbed my daggers from my nightstand and snuck down the hallway to her bedroom. The only reasons I could possibly conjure up as to why I couldn't feel her presence were this:

1.) she sleepwalked out of the house, likely but not entirely so.

2.) She was still asleep, less likely because she wasn't in the house. So, no.

Or 3.) she was in trouble.

My grip on my daggers tightened when I saw that her door was cracked open, further so than the night before. I took in a deep breath and shoved my way through the door, blades poised to strike.

Her room was empty.

Her blankets were thrown in a pile beside her bed, and her sheets were tangled up around her pillows. I sighed and walked over to her window, which was flung open, and touched it lightly with my fingertips. It was covered in ice-just as I expected.  
>I slipped my knives into my back pocket and ducked through the window, beginning my long walk to our families training ground. For some reason Ayame always went there, even when she was little, to clear her head or get away.<p>

I looked up at the sky and smiled; it had been so peaceful these past few years with my sister. She and I had been working so hard, both in our work and home lives, to achieve a state where we could be happy; be together. In fact, in these past few months, Ayame and I had both been promoted-me to Jonin, and her to an ANBU Captain. It was probably one of the happiest days in my life—my sister was happy, overjoyed in fact, and I was as well. We were both together, with no one to stand in our way and say we couldn't do what we wanted, and we were both at peace.

A sudden drop in temperature warned me of my approach to our training ground. I pulled my daggers back out of my pockets and took in a deep breath, preparing for the worst. When I broke through the last of the tree line, I could only see frost and lonely little icicles hanging from branches and vines, almost as if they were some sort of winter decoration, and as I continued inward, I could see an eerie looking snowflake-like pattern carved into the ground; but still no sign of my sister.

"Ayame?! Ayame where are you!?" I paused when I seen a limp figure resting at the base of a huge, frozen oak tree. Panic started to set in. "There!"

I immediately ran across the grounds to her side, half expecting her to be dead…or worse. "Ayame, are you okay?" I shook her shoulders gently, afraid to hurt her.

My sister covered her face with her forearm, annoyed. "Go away, Kiame."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. She was fine, yeah she lost control of her kekkei genkei and froze our training ground, but she was fine, and that was all that mattered to me. "You do realize that you're lying out on our practice field?"

Ayame opened one of her icy blue eyes, glanced around, and promptly closed it again. "Yes."

"Well then," I smirked, "I suppose you realize that you've frozen over half of it and destroyed what was left of our big oak tree, right?"

Ayame sat up slowly, "What do you…oh." She glanced around at the damage she had caused, and scowled. "That's what you mean…"

I laughed, "You're the only person I know in Konoha that can be this silly."

She raised an eyebrow, "In all of Konoha, hunh?"

"Yeap."

Ayame rolled her eyes and punched me in the leg, "Whatever, just help me up."

I stopped laughing and sighed, pulling a very weak and fragile looking Aya to her feet. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

My sister looked at me for a moment then looked back at the ground, averting my gaze. "No, Kiame. I just wanted to come out and train...I was bored."

I snorted. "Likely story... Aya, you know I know you better than that. Now tell me, what is it?"

"I'm hungry, and dirty. We'll talk about this after I eat and take a shower." She answered, starting off toward our house.

I knew this was Ayame's way of changing the subject and trying to keep me out of her business. I could've called her out on it and forced the subject out of her-but I didn't, she'd had a long enough night.

"Okay…"

* * *

><p>I stood at the stove, watching over the food I'd just fried, when Ayame came walking into the kitchen. "What're you making?" She asked, looking over my shoulder.<p>

"Fried bacon, some toast, and eggs. Is that okay?" I answered, pouring the food from their skillets to their plates.

Ayame smiled and took her place at our dining table. "Fine with me."

It was then that I noticed she'd changed into her normal attire; a navy blue, cut-off zip top over a black camisole, with an armless fishnet jumpsuit underneath. Her legs were covered with a pair of black cargo bermudas, ANBU boots, and matching shin guards. "What's with that look?" She asked, putting her bandage wrapped elbows on the table.

I shook my head and set the food down in front of me. "Oh…well, you're not wearing your ANBU stuff."

Ayame nodded, "Indeed."

"Why?" I asked, taking my seat.

She laughed, "Because I'm not on duty today, baka. The Division asked that I take a few days off after my team and I just finished that Kumogakure assignment, remember?"

"Oh, that's right."

"Hmm," Ayame lifted up a few of the trays and started scraping food onto her plate. "Well, what about you? You're not in your Jonin garb either."

I glanced down at my clothes and frowned; I was still in my pajamas. "Well, I had to go get my sister this morning; I mean you know how she is with all her running off and such."

-"Really now? Sounds troublesome."

I nodded, "You have no idea. Plus she's mean to me too, always calling me stupid and silly."

Ayame faked a gasp, "I couldn't imagine!"

"Yes," I continued, "It's horrible."

My sister rolled her eyes and stuck a forkful of bacon in her mouth, "Whatever."

I smiled and poured some food over into my plate. It was nice being with my sister on days like this, when we could just joke around and relax; it was the perfect way to pass the time, in my opinion anyway. We could train, rest, eat, talk; in fact, we would even go into town together sometimes, just to chill or hang with some friends. I glanced up from my plate, surprised to see the exhausted look Ayame's face had taken on. Something about it stuck with me, like how it did in my dream. This now brought me to the fact that I hadn't discussed it with her. "Uhm…you know, I had the weirdest dream last night."

Ayame paused mid-bite. "Really?" Her whole body tensed, "What was it about?"

"Well," I closed my eyes, trying to recall what had happened. "I dreamed that I had one of my phoenix scouts flying over some forest somewhere…and then I saw you and this dark-haired man in a clearing." She paused when she took a sip of water, but played it off as nothing. "I told my scout to fly down over where you two were, and I'm pretty sure you saw it, but before I could say anything to you it was extinguished." I shook my head, "It was weird…it felt like I hadn't seen you in ages."

My sister nodded, taking in the information I'd just told her. "I see…"

-"Well, how about you? I know you had a dream-you wouldn't have run out to the training field if you hadn't."

"Kiame, it was nothing. I just wanted to train."

"Ayame..."

"Kia."

"AYA."

"Looks like you caught me." She sighed, "Well, it was different, but nothing really; just another stupid dream."

"Dreams are important windows into the inner workings of our subconscious mind." I stated, sticking my fork in her face. "No dream is '_stupid_', now tell."

Ayame sent me her infamous "_you-silly-baka-glare"_, "No, Kiame."

I then tapped into my best weapon-my puppy dog eyes, a look I knew my twin sister couldn't refuse. "Pleeeease, sissy?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair, "You know, the more you use that look, the less effective it is."

"So," I retorted, "It still works, doesn't it?"

"For now, imouto-chan." She smiled, but I could tell that she wasn't too amused. "Well, anyway…I dreamed that, like you, I was in some forest…at first it was really nice and calm, surprising for me, but then these ravens appeared and formed together into this man who-"

"OHHH!" I interrupted, "Ayame was dreaming about a boy?! Who is he?! Do I know him!? Is he cuuute?!"

"KIAME," Ayame cast me a stern glare, trying to hide the faint blush now forming on her cheeks. Boys had always been a sensitive subject with my sister, but it was one of my best weapons for her too. "Calm down. No, you don't know him, and neither do I…And as for your last question-it's irrelevant."

I pouted a little, "Sorry..."

-"It's alright."

"So," I leaned forward and propped my chin on my hand. "What did he look like?"

My sister rolled her eyes, "Still on that, hunh?"

"Yes." I smirked.

-"Well… he was tall, with cropped black hair that was tied back in this ponytail, he had some fairly pale skin. Uhm...He wore an odd cloak though, black with red and white clouds. I'd never seen anything like it before."

"Interesting, anything else?"

Ayame rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Uhm, I think he had on a Konohagurke head protector, but I'm not entirely sure. It's somewhat hard to remember now."

"Well," I picked up my fork and crammed a serving of eggs in my mouth. "I fink he sthounds…nithe."

"I suppose," She answered, yawning. "But that's not all."

I swallowed, "What else?"

Ayame looked me dead in the eye, her face suddenly serious. "Just as I started to wake up, the man told me he was coming for us."

"Are you sure?" I asked, putting down my fork. At first the idea of it all crossed me as a joke, but the longer I looked at my sister the severity of what she meant suddenly began to sink in.

"Positive."

"Well, what do you suppose he meant by that?" I asked.

My sister sighed, "I don't know…that's why I told you."

"Well," I pushed myself up from the table, "I think it means that you need a vacation. You work too much as it is, and didn't you just come home from a mission? You're probably exhausted, and your mind was just playing games with you."

"I AM taking a break, Kiame." She growled and shook her head, "I'd be out there right now, working, if it weren't for the fact that I was sentenced to home arrest by the fucking ANBU division; and second of all, my mind was not-wait." Ayame suddenly stood up, her eyes drifting off to our window. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" I asked, walking over to her.

"Those chakra signatures; there's two of them, one in the forest and one over at the training field." She answered, "They're very strong, unlike anything I've felt before..."

It took me a moment, but after she brought them to my attention, I could feel the signatures as well. And just like she said, they were strong. And they were on the move. "Who do you suppose it is?"

Ayame ran out of the kitchen and down the hall to her room, after a moment, she came back with her katana's and ANBU garb. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

I grabbed my jonin vest from the back of my chair and slipped it over my arms, "I'll go with you."

-"No. It's too dangerous, Kiame."

"If that's the case," I stepped up in front of her, "Then why are you going?"

Ayame looked at me for a moment, trying to think of a way to get around the subject, but she finally just sighed, irritated. "Fine." She answered, slipping her ANBU mask down over her hair. "But be careful."

"Always am." I grinned.

"Wait," Ayame stopped at the threshold and smirked, "You might want to change first."

I glanced down at my clothes and growled; I was still in my pajamas.

"Damn it!"

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

"Still worrying?" Kiame asked, joining me on our porch. She had since changed from her pajamas to her normal ninja attire; a dark emerald tank-top, khaki shorts, black knee-high combat boots with matching bodysuit fishnet, and a pair of arm guards and fingerless gloves.

I clutched the hilts of my katana's and slipped them into the sheath on my back. "This is no joke, Kiame. This could be a serious threat."

She sighed and pulled out a pair of her poison-dipped kunai, "I know, but we can handle it. We _are _the Azikuria twins after all."

I rolled my eyes, the name was overrated. "I mean it, Kiame."

"Sheesh," She laughed and pointed to her temple, "I'll keep in touch, okay?"

I tightened the red scarf around my neck and took off into the forest, Kiame following close behind. Ever since my sister and I were little, we've always had this…"twin-link", as Kiame called it. We could hear each other's thoughts, emotions, and sometimes physical pains, but only to a certain range. We didn't really understand WHY we had this bizarre connection, maybe it was our opposing kekkei genkei, we didn't know. But...yeah, it is pretty strange.

I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes, attempting to form the mental connection with my sister. _'Kiame?'_

I felt her presence within my mind almost instantly, _'What is it, Ayame?'_

'_I don't like this…'_

She chuckled, _'Neither do I. Running through the woods…not very fun, is it?'_

'_That's not what I meant,' _I growled, and glanced back over my shoulder to see her grinning like an idiot. '_These chakra signatures…there's something…ominous, about them. They're more than just powerful, Kiame. They're…threatening.'_

She fell silent. _'Maybe…we should turn back then?'_

I shook my head, _'No…odds are, they've already spotted our own signatures and I have the feeling that if we turned back now, they'd only follow. I don't want to bring anyone else into this. Especially the Hokage or anyone else, we don't need the trouble. '_

'_Hmm, good point.' _She answered.

I cut off our mental connection and stopped at the nearest tree branch. "There's only one thing to do then."

Kiame came to a hault alongside of me and sighed, clearly not happy with the idea. "Fight?"

I nodded, "Fight."

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading you guys! :D I hope you like...There should be a new chapter within the next month or so. :D So...yay :) lol<br>Uhm, Reviews are warranted. ;D

~Aria


	3. Chapter 3: Fated Gatherings

**Chapter 3: FatedGatherings**

* * *

><p>AN: So, hi again :D I hope all have enjoyed what has been posted thus far, but this chapter actually starts to get the ball rolling...;P hahaha. Uhm, I don't know if any have noticed, but instead of posting chapters about the girl's profiles, i just updated the first chapter to include them, so that's there for any whom might want to know.<p>

Uhhhhhhh...Yeah :)  
>With that, here is chapter III! :)<p>

~Aria

* * *

><p><em>"Turn around they might be watching,<em>  
><em>And you never disappoint them.<em>  
><em>Hide your innocence before they see right through,<em>  
><em>You mustn't disappoint them.<em>

_You need the danger just to feel your heart beat,_  
><em>You need to die just to find your identity,<em>  
><em>You need the knife just to know that you can bleed,<em>  
><em>You need the <em>_pain now just to feel anything.._

_We fall in line, we live the lie_  
><em>Give up, give up and feed the machine<em>  
><em>It grows inside, nowhere to hide<em>  
><em>Give up, give up and feed the machine<em>  
><em>Give up, give up and feed the machine!"<em>

_-Feed the Machine, RED_

* * *

><p><strong>-Kiame-<strong>

"Fight?" I asked; fighting was not one of my favorite options in a situation like this, it had too many possible outcomes, both good and bad.

-"Fight."

I shook my head and sighed, we really didn't have any other choice at this point.  
>"Alright… So," I pulled out a few of my poisoned daggers and glanced at my sister, "What's the game plan?"<p>

"…We're going to split up." Ayame answered.

My heart skipped a beat. "W-what?!"

"We are going to split up." My sister repeated.

"What are you getting at!?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her, "You know we're stronger as a team, Ayame. Plus, you said it yourself, this is a dangerous assignment and we need to stick together! So, why in the world?!"

"Because," Ayame swept some of her hair away from her ANBU mask as she spoke, "It's true we may be stronger as a team, but think about it, Kiame…If the two of us gang up on one enemy and leave the other to roam free, what would happen? Not to mention the fact that these people know us, they know our first battle strategy is to attack together."

I frowned.

"Exactly," She answered, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Trust me, I don't like the thought of splitting up either, but it's the best option we have."

"Okay..." I mumbled, still uncomfortable with the idea.

"We'll be alright," I could tell that my sister was smiling from behind her mask, "I promise."

* * *

><p>"Did they take the bait?" Kisame asked, glancing down at his partner.<p>

The elder Uchiha closed his eyes for a moment then nodded. "Yeah, they're both headed this way."

The sharkman laughed and gripped the hilt of his blade, "Hahahaha, alright then. Samehada and I have been itching to taste some chakra…"

"Don't get reckless." Itachi stated, activating his Sharingan. "These two are both skilled; they won't come without a fight."

"Good," Kisame smirked, taking off into the forest.

Itachi sighed and continued his way into a nearby clearing, waiting for his opponent.

* * *

><p>Ayame ran in one direction as I peeled off in the other.<p>

I sighed as I pushed myself up into the bright morning sunlight, breaking through another set of treetops. Radiant, midsummer warmth coated my skin as the cool chill of the morning breeze filled my lungs. Running through trees was a lot like flying; if provided that same 'free' feeling, but on a more…human, level. Uneasiness still poked at the back of my mind…I still wasn't set on the idea of leaving Ayame. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was still very weak and tired from her little "episode" the night before. Plus, there was always the possibility that she could lose control again, and with our current situations being as they were, I wouldn't be there to help her. I sighed again.

It didn't take long before the chakra signature I was headed toward began to slow, stopping in what seemed to be a small clearing. I slowed my pace as well and slipped into a nearby tree line, warily cutting off my chakra networks to avoid their detection. Carefully, I managed to slip my body down into the branches of a nearby forest canopy, attempting to spot my opponent.

In the very center a man stood with a large (when I say large I say that generously) sword outstretched, and waiting. He had a distinctive…shark-like appearance, from what I could see; complete with a pale, blue-grey skintone; small, yellowish eyes with gill-like facial markings underneath; spiky sapphire hair; and a black cloak clad with same red and white clouds my sister had warned me of. I glanced over him a few times, trying to place his odd appearance. Was he… part shark? Odd...?

_'Doesn't matter… He's trespassing regardless.' _I turned over on my side and made to move to throw a pair of my daggers, when a whir of silver went flying by my face, slicing a section off of the end of my hair.

"I know you're here, little girl." He laughed, swinging around his sword. "You might as well save us both the time and energy and just come on out."

'_So much for the element of surprise…'_I took in a breath and grabbed hold of my branch, swinging down onto the forest floor.

The man smirked, apparently pleased by something. "Well, well, well…Kiame Azikuria, Jonin and fire-user of Konohagurke, I presume?"

"Yeah," I stated, standing upright. "And you are?"

"Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the Mist, at your service." Kisame laughed and swung his blade out in front of him again, this time aiming it at me. "You know…I was expecting to have a more…sturdy-looking opponent," He stated. "Not some little…girl."

"Well, looks like you're stuck with me." I snarled. If this guy had the same cloak from both mine and Aya's dreams, I needed to get back to my sister.

The Fishman's grin widened as the thrust his giant blade down in my direction. Instinctively, I pushed myself backwards, catching the ground just long enough to throw one of my daggers at his chest. Kisame chuckled, glancing down at the blood now pouring from his wound. "That's too bad…" He smirked, disappearing in a splash of now lifeless water. _'Damn, water clone!'_

I took in a deep breath and spread my chakra around the trees, trying to sense my original opponent. Either this guy was good, or he was just toying around with me…I felt it was the latter. "You know, I don't even think you're worth our time if you can be tripped up by a simple decoy." A voice called.

"Why don't you come out and fight like a shinobi then?!" I hissed, clenching my fists. The sound of my voice echoed around the trees. I'd been in our forest multiple times, but this was the first in which I couldn't even hear the birds singing…Unsettling couldn't even begin to describe it.

Desperately, I tried pushing my thoughts toward my sister. One simple sentence was all I needed to relay…

-"Be careful what you wish for."

I threw myself to the side, skidding to a hault just meters from where a giant crater now scared the earth. An exact replica of the man from before now stood, sword extended, at the base of it. He was grinning again, razor-sharp teeth gleaming in their glory.

Okay, carelessness DEFINITELY needed to be avoided here. I wiped some dust off of my shirt as I pushed myself up, "What the hell do you want?"

Kisame chuckled, "If you haven't figured it out by now you DEFINITELY aren't worth my time."

I scoffed and launched my body forward, heading towards the man at a dead sprint. He reacted quickly, spitting off water jutsu with nothing but a single handsign. Sharks came in two's, three's, ten's-all swarming at me as I kept trying to maneuver closer to the fish man. Kisame continued to laugh, mocking as I was fighting for my life. One hit from these sharks, and there goes at least 60% of my fire-style attacks…I flipped and ducked, jumped and slid, until finally, an opening.

Just as one of the paired sharks came rushing at me, I slammed my foot into a tree. Using this as a hold, I gripped my dagger in my hands, and pushed myself off straight into the jutsu's mouth. Careful not to allow the walls of its throat to swallow around me, I pointed my dagger straight into its ribcage and swung, slicing the beast from the inside out. Using its demise to my advantage, I slammed my fists into the ground, and thrust myself into a dead-on spiral towards my opponent.

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

I dodged through a nearby set of branches, thrusting my body toward the ground. With my momentum, I slammed my feet on the earth, and pushed myself back into the trees, trying to stay out of sight. Continuing those same motions throughout the forest, I pushed my will out towards my sister, waiting for her response. Kiame still hadn't replied to me after her distress call. All I caught was my name, then absolute silence.  
>Worry was eating me alive now.<p>

I sighed and continued to keep my eyes on the lookout-I was growing increasingly closer to my target, but I still hadn't spotted them. Their chakra had lowered too, as if they were repressing part of it from my radar. Smart move.

"_I'm sorry, Kiame…"_

_The eight year old version of my sister now stood before me, the same goofy grin she wore now spread across her youthful face. "Why are you sorry, Aya?"_

"_Daddy hurt you…" A similarly aged version of myself began to tear up when she saw the crooked way her leg was now bent. "That was supposed to be my punishment. I told you not to get in the way!" _

"_I wasn't just going to stand by and watch my sissy be punished," Kiame placed her small hand on my shoulder. "You didn't deserve it."_

_The younger me gasped," Kia! If he hears you say that you'll get in big trouble!"_

"_Daddy's stupid anyway."_

"_Kia!"_

"_Oh, I won't get in trouble." She placed both hands on her hips and stuck out her chest, careful not to put any weight on her leg. "I'd be standing up for you, and that's all that matters."_

The flashback suddenly ended.

A short-lived gasp escaped my lips as I missed the branch I'd just stretched my hand out towards. I continued to extend my hand, hoping with all my might that I could still reach it, but it was too late…I snapped my eyes shut…this was it.  
>With a loud crunch, I felt my body collide with the ground.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>-Kiame-<strong>

"Not too bad, girl." Kisame hissed, touching his cheek.

I grinned as hot, metallic liquid now spilled from the side of the Fish man's face. At least I knew this man wasn't invincible. He had weaknesses, now I just needed to exploit them.

"Now allow me to return the favour!"

I clenched my teeth and leapt backwards, dodging the swing of his large blade. My chakra was starting to run a little low. Our twin link took effort to keep up from this range, even if I didn't have time to respond to my sister, I could still send her wavelengths to her of my whereabouts, my physical condition, etc.-that'd have to satisfy her for now...  
>Another large swing.<p>

If I were going to win this fight, without the help of my sister, then I needed a plan. And for now, the best I had was to distract him.

There had to be something…  
>Another swing.<p>

'_That's it! His sword. If I could just grab it, or disarm him, then that'd leave him open to another hit from my dagger!'_

I chuckled as I dodged another blow; it was time to put my plan into motion. Using my hands as a base, I swung my feet up in the air, just as his blade was returning to his side. Flicking my ankle to the left, I was able to secure the hilt in between my boots, and twist it from his grip, sending him flailing backwards. _'Perfect.'_ Grinning, I grabbed the massive sword in my hands and stood. "Looks like this little _girl_ just won this fight, sharkey."

He grinned as he stood himself, his teeth gleaming and exposed. "Not quite. Samehada, why don't you give her a demonstration?"

Upon hearing it's name, the blade erupted from its bandaged holds. Sharp, twisting daggers, all razor thin and…(did they snarl?), jolted outwards from every inch of its surface. I gasped and threw the damned thing to the ground. My hands were now covered in blood and pierced from fingertips to wrists. I hissed and backed away, so much for that plan. "What is that thing..?"

"Samehada," Kisame laughed, "Also translates to 'Shark-Skin'."

I had to get away; I had to get back-up…something, anything.

"You're done for girl."

I took in a deep breath. My sister has always had problems controlling her Kekkei Genkei, mostly because it was always so overwhelming for her (I don't quite know the reason why); but I, on the other hand, have had a little more experience with it…An angry growl rose in my throat, filling my body with an overwhelming feeling of heat. "I'm not the one who's outmatched, Fish."

His grin widened as he took on a fighting stance, "Finally…"

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

I winced in pain.

Everything on my body hurt; head, back, legs, ribs-it was like I'd been run through with a million knives. Part of it may have been from the fall, but in all of this commotion, I had forgotten how low my chakra had been depleted since last night…and it was catching up to me, fast. Using my arms, I pushed myself up out of the dirt, resting my body on my elbows. The chakra signature from before still hadn't moved, much to my surprise. They were waiting for the fight, then.

I sighed and attempted to open my eyes, scan my surroundings, but when my lids opened, everything was still dark…Odd? I tried again. Maybe I hit my head during the fall? Eh, no maybe's there...  
>And again…Hmmm…<br>Once more..?

I tried,  
>over and over,<br>blink after blink, but the result was always the same-  
>darkness.<p>

I couldn't see anything; not the sky, the trees, not even my hand waving right in my face. _'No…not now…' _I could feel my pulse beginning to pick up. What would I do…What about Kiame? How could I help her?

Well first of all, I couldn't fight on the ground…Be it that I couldn't see, it was difficult, but I did manage to push myself up and anchor my arms on, what I believed to be, a tree. I took a deep breath, trying to push my thoughts out to my sister. _'Kia.'_

After about ten or so minutes of silence (that's what it felt like anyway), I finally got a response._ 'Can't talk Ayame, fighting.'_

I felt a wave of relieve wash over me; at least she was still hanging in there. _'I need you to send a scout to headquarters and ask for ANBU reinforcements.'_

'_Have you met your target yet?'_ Kiame's voice wavered.

'_No, had some complications, talk later. Be careful.'_

_''Kay.'_

I clenched my fists and started walking forwards, if I could use my chakra locating technique to find these intruders, then I could use it to battle all the same, and if not battle, at least stall for help. "I know you're here!" I yelled, "Get out here and fight me, you coward!"

A rush of wind came from my right, the sound of buzzing metal whipping through the air. I ducked my head, the sound of splitting wood following soon after. Looks like I got my wish.

* * *

><p><strong>-Kiame-<strong>

"Come on, girl!"

I bared my teeth at the Shark-man, swinging, yet again, where his throat would have been not a second earlier.

My chakra was fading, fast.  
>The heat from my choker was slowly fading; I had (maybe) 5 minutes of chakra left, if that...<p>

I let out a guttural snarl and released another wave of fire across the clearing, trying to strike Kisame before he could dodge. But it always ended with the same result-he'd deflect with a water barrier, and I'd run up and attempt to strike, miss, then repeat the process over again.

I skidded to a halt by a tree.  
>I needed to send out a scout-before the last of this chakra ran out.<br>If worst came to worst, at least the ANBU could find my body and attempt to help my sister, while she still has a fighting chance. I clenched my teeth, fighting back the pain in my hands, and pushed myself up into the branches.

"Sorry to disappoint you girlie, but you're not going anywhere." Kisame laughed, swinging his sword around to the base of the oak. I gripped a hold of the nearest branch and clung on for dear life. This was it, I was going to die…but…I had to do this, if nothing else, I HAD to do this.

In my last ditch effort, I infused half of my chakra in my dagger, and swung upwards, chopping down the branches between myself and the sky; and with the other, I pushed chakra into my arm, and out into clouds. Just as my tree came toppling to the ground, I heard a loud cry erupt from the tree tops, and the warm sensation of fire fill the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

I took in a deep breath, focusing in on the sounds around me. If this asshole was going to block my sight with genjutsu (at least that's what I assumed this was), then I wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of beating me with cheap tricks.

A familiar hum began to register to my right, I dodged, yet again, and the familiar '_thunk' _of metal on wood came just as the hum started again. This time I stepped forward, unsheathing one of my katanas to help aid in the fight.

Hum  
>dodge<br>metal on metal  
>repeat.<p>

Hum  
>dodge<br>metal on wood  
>repeat.<p>

"Come on you coward," I yelled, slicing down another shuriken. "Get out here and fight honorably! I can take you down with or without my eyesight!"

My voice echoed through the trees like a vice. The forest was completely void of life-no more birds (not that I recall hearing any to begin with), no humming or '_thunks,' _just eerie, calm silence. I took in deep breaths, trying to remain calm. I needed to relax, try to get my shallow breathing under control…

The warm summer breeze began to rustle through the tree tops, sending humid, dry air though the lower forest floor. There was still the absence of birds and other forest life, but there was something odd coming from up ahead- the air felt different, cleaner, somehow. I continued my slow trek forwards, gliding my sword around in front of my body to avoid trees and rocks. Inching my body forward, through what I believed to be the last of the foliage, I attempted to reach out to the signal I'd located only minutes before-they couldn't be far from me now.

"Ayame Azikuria, ANBU captain and shinobi of Konohagurke?" A voice suddenly asked.

I wanted to jump, but somehow I managed to maintain my stance. "Who wants to know?" I stated, coming to a hault as my sword grazed over the last tree.

"An interested party." The voice answered back. "Are you, or are you not?"

Something pulled at the back of my mind; I recognized that stoic tone… "I am."

Light suddenly came flooding into my eyes, overwhelming what was left of my senses. I pulled my forearm over my face and pressed a knee into the dirt, attempting to block the sun from my (still sensitive) eyes. "I am Uchiha Itachi. I've been sent to retrieve you on behalf of the Akatsuki."

Squinting, I could make out that of a black figure about 40 paces in front of me, standing in the center of, what looked like, the remnants of our training area. "Psh, I know who you are. You're the prick from my dream." I hissed, wiping the building water from my eyes. "What the hell do you want?"

He didn't reply.

Pushing myself up off of the ground, I readied what was left of my chakra. "If you think I'm going to go with you peacefully then you're mistaken." I snapped, tightening my grip on my katana. I didn't know how well I could fight after having fallen out of a tree and being blinded, but I was about to find out.

"I'm not asking you." Itachi replied coldly.

The whir of shuriken suddenly came blazing by the side of my face, almost connecting with my cheek. I jumped aside thinking there would be more to follow, but much to my surprise, there were only four. I glanced up, silently grinning to myself that they actually had a different target-Itachi.

He dodged it easily enough, as suspected for someone of his (seeming) ability, and took a step forward, glaring past me into the forest I'd just emerged from. I too followed his gaze, an instant film of relief washing over me. A squad of three ANBU Black Ops operatives now stood on the edge of the clearing, masks down and weapons at the ready. I felt a smirk pull at the corners of my lips; Kiame had managed to launch the scout, I needed to thank her later..."Uchiha Itachi, you are under arrest for the slaughter of House Uchiha and the attempted kidnapping of ANBU Captain Ayame Azikuria and Jonin Kiame Azikuria. You'll be coming with us for questioning under the right of the Hokage, Lady Tsunade, and the ordinances of the Land of Fire." The ANBU closest to me stated.

Unfazed, Itachi replied, "I'm here for Ayame. I advise the three of you to return from whence you came, otherwise, I will kill you."

I felt the uneasy feeling from before beginning to well in my stomach. I'd faced many a killer within my line of work, but I had never been face-to-face with someone who put off such an aura of superiority, even though he was faced with four trained and armed ANBU Black Ops.

Scoffs came from the team behind me. I didn't really recognize the voices of the other two, but the middle I knew for a fact to be my old partner Kunyai Hishiri. Kunyai and I had attended the Academy together, along with Kiame and myself. He was…arrogant, to say the least, and pretty hot-tempered as well. I was actually quite surprised to see him, considering the fact that he had been put on a…'parole', of sorts, for getting himself into trouble with a few of the brothel girls in town. Last I had heard, he'd been kicked out of Ops for his behavior, but I guess he was reinstated. Nevertheless, I was glad I had some sort of back-up; numbers could make a difference in battle.

Itachi's eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch. "You can still leave if you wish. I'm giving you a choice between your lives, however insignificant they may be, or death. I advise you chose, and quickly. You're wasting my time."

Kunyai laughed. "If I were you, Uchiha, I'd be the one running. We have a squad of Jonin and Survey Ops coming to take yo-"

-"Itachi!"

A figure, about twice as tall as the man before me, came walking out of the adjacent tree line, a small bundle swung over his shoulder. He, like Itachi, wore that same red and black cloak from my dream. "I've taken care of my objective, any particular reason why you're taking so long with yours?"

Kunyai growled and stepped up alongside me, annoyed at the interruption.

"I was just about to take care of it." Itachi snapped, appraising the ANBU standing alongside of me.

It was then that I noticed…That man that now stood along this 'Uchiha-guy" or whoever he was, wasn't carrying a bundle.  
>He was carrying a body.<p>

He was carrying my sister.

My unconscious, and visibly hurt sister.

No...

"Let go of her." Chakra or not, I felt a chill begin to burn throughout my entire body-the same chill I'd tried to rid myself of the night before. The man, who I now realized was…blue?...was he really blue?...gave me a large, razor-toothed grin and adjusted her body to the opposite shoulder. "Don't worry girl, you'll be joining her soon enough."

Back-up or not, I didn't give a damn. I was getting my sister back.

Pushing Kunyai aside, I strode forward, pointing my katana at the raven-haired man before me. "If you're as strong as you think, then _try_ to take me, you fucking prick."

Itachi took a step forward at the same moment I pushed myself off from the ground. Using the open field to my advantage, I launched a series of ice crystals up from the earth-impaling the air where the Uchiha would have been only seconds before. He continued his maneuvering, at one point even launching a fire style jutsu to throw me off balance. I managed to catch myself, but by the time I was able to look up, the field before me had been covered in steam. I growled and used the mist as an opportunity to glance back towards my fellow ANBU, who were now busy fighting the blue man from earlier. Who, from what I could see, was no longer holding the body of my sister-meaning he either laid her down during the heat of the battle, or one of the ANBU managed t-

-"Your fight is here."

"Agh!" A gasp left my lips as I was struck back into reality. While I'd been glancing back over my shoulder, Itachi had managed to catch me off guard and land a kick square to my jaw.

I tried to recover, but the Uchiha caught my wrist just as I attempted to retaliate. Tightening his hold, to the point of breaking bone, he used my forward momentum to throw my body a good 0 feet from his person. Dazed, but finally able to catch myself, I dug my heels into the earth and skidded to a hault, using one of my ice pillars as support.

I turned and spat at the ground, wiping away the blood now seeping from the corner of my mouth.  
>That would hurt in the morning.<p>

Taking a deep breath, I sheathed my katana. There was almost no use doing close combat with this guy, not with weapons anyway. _'I need to distract Itachi…If I can, I can grab my sister while the blue man is busy, and maybe then we could escape and alert Tsunade'._

"Give up now, Ayame." Itachi stated, advancing closer. "You're only making this harder on yourself."

I scoffed and bolted towards the opposite battle. If that blue man had laid down my sister to fight, then she had to be around here somewhere.

Frantically I searched, trying to look for her body, when a giant raven swooped down in my path. _'Shit!'_  
>Before I could react, the raven materialized, much like it had in my dream, into the Uchiha, who was now coming at me with a force matching that of my own. Gritting my teeth, I slammed my foot into the ground and reared the adjacent leg back, preparing a counter.<p>

As we collided, I swung and brought my limb forward, hoping the extra momentum would help my foot connect with the side of his face. With a loud snap, he managed to block just before it could make contact. Wincing through the pain, I tried the same with my fist, but it ended with a similar result; snap and it was caught. Now I was stuck; the Uchiha had both my leg and arm caught at wrist and ankle, but I couldn't let that stop me-I had to get to Kiame. Like the fist and leg before it, I swung forward with my open fist, and this time, I connected.

Or thought I had connected.

A large puff of smoke suddenly erupted from the spot he'd been not a second before, leaving me to fall to the ground with a thud. _'Shadow clone!' _

I cried out as my back struck the dirt; I was almost at my limit; my chakra levels were running dangerously low, not to mention the fact that I was still sore from the fall I'd had earlier. "Not bad," I glanced up, making eye contact with my red-eyed opponent. He was rubbing his jaw, perhaps I had connected? "But this ends now, Ayame."

Using my last bit of strength, I tapped into what was left of my kekkei genkei-I had to get my sister back, at any cost. "Get out of my way!"

Just as the words left my mouth, the temperature around us suddenly dropped. Itachi's eyes narrowed, sensing the shift in chakra. I growled and stood, matching his glare. Droplets of water began to hang in the air around us, suspended like rain; morphing and twisting until they took on the form of needles. The Uchiha moved first, dodging and maneuvering in and out of their whistling attacks. Using this to my advantage, I twisted around the nearest set of ice, dodging his fist and ducking to the side, making towards where Kiame should be.

_'Just a little further!'_

-"Not so fast, girl!"

Out of corner of my eye, I managed to catch the blur of a huge bandaged sword as it came swinging by my face. I clenched my teeth and threw myself forward; trying to dodge the blow, but it was no use. The edge of the blade landed directly into my stomach, catching me mid-air and launching me back into the ground. I gasped, immediately grabbing my ribs; if something hadn't broken before, it had now.

I don't know how long I laid there-it felt like an eternity, seeing as I was no longer able to move- when the sound of approaching footsteps came from my left. "She was my objective, Kisame."

Laughter. "You should have finished her off then. I gave you more than enough time."

"Silence," I gasped and writhed, trying to regain control over my body, trying to get back into this fight, protect my sister, but it was no use. With the lack of chakra and (surely) broken bones I now had, I was done for. "Retrieve the other girl. We need to get back to base."

* * *

><p>AN: OOhhhhhhhhh, cliffhanger? :D hahaha<p>

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that chappy, I had fun writing it..:3  
>I will update soon, I suppose, so look forward to that sometime in October or early November at the latest. Maybe i'll even find the time to do a little Halloween one-shot or something.. :) With auditions for university music programs time isn't really on my side right now...haha...":( ...<p>

Reviews, or any sort of feedback is welcome. :3

Happy Fall, everyone! :D

~Aria


	4. Chapter 4: Pain

**Chapter 4: Pain**

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><p>AN: Next chapter! :) whoo! haha, Hope you guys like!<p>

**~Aria**

* * *

><p><em>"The caged bird sings with a fearful thrill<br>Of things unknown but longed for still  
>And his tune is heard on the distant hill<br>For the caged bird sings of freedom."_

-Maya Angelou

* * *

><p><strong>-Konohagurke, Hokage Building-<strong>

Kunyai sighed and limped up to the Hokage's door. He didn't know how he was able to make it from that battle alive, considering all other members in his team had been killed… He himself had multiple lacerations to both his chest and arms, a few broken bones (his nose being one of them), and a nasty tear in his hamstring (hence the limp).  
>In the grand scheme of things, he was quite lucky…Most who went up against two S-class Bingo Book nin didn't come back to tell the tale...Kakashi had been a prime example of that not more than a few months ago...Regardless…That wouldn't stop Tsunade's wrath…<p>

He knocked, "Lady Hokage?"

A voice called from inside. "Enter!"

Kunyai hesitated at the threshold, but pushed his way through the door nevertheless. "I have news, my Lady."

The blonde kuniochi looked up from her desk, weary and irritated. She'd been dealing with foreign affairs all day: The Village in the Mist was requesting trade with an outer Konoha farm, who couldn't quite afford the travel to and from each village, and now they were requesting for Jonin assistance; Kumogakure was starting an uproar about drought this summer, and had just put out compensation offers to nearby nations-the Land of Fire included; A foreign ambassador required escorts from the Cloud to the Sound, and requested the best of Konoha to do so; new graduates from the Academy needed to be inducted into the Genin rank, and she was required to attend…It'd been a long _long _day. "What is it?" She snapped.

Kunyai swallowed and met the Hokage's eyes. "There's been an attack at the West Gate of Konoha, my Lady, and a…kidnapping."

Tsunade stood from her chair, slamming her fist into her desk. "What do you mean an attack?" She walked around the table until she stood directly before the ANBU; if she hadn't looked angry before, well…she was fuming now…"Why haven't I heard of this before now?!"

Kunyai shifted nervously. "We've been trying to contain the situation, My Lady. Jonin and ANBU are currently at the gates investigating."

The Kuniochi rubbed the bridge of her nose. "What. Happened..?"

"S…S-rank ninja snuck into the village, My Lady, wanted Bingo Book fugitives Hoshigake Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. Once I heard of the news, I deployed both myself and my squad to head them off and buy time for reinforcements. Unfortunately, they were stronger than we expected…they bested my team and I came here to relay to you my findings."

"Are you sure it was those two?" She hissed.

Kunyai nodded nervously.

-"Shizune!"

The black haired woman in calling came sprinting into the Hokage's office, her face full of panic. "What is it, Lady Tsunade?"

"I want you to deploy every ANBU in this damn village and send them to the West gate. Then, I want you to send a squadron of Jonin and Medical staff to the location Kunyai is about to relay to you. See what you can do about his fallen comrades and his own wounds." Tsunade was fuming. "Who was their intended target?" She was looking at the stammering ANBU once more.

Kunyai grimaced. "The Azikuria twins, My Lady, ANBU Captain Ayame and Konoha Jonin Kiame."

"And did they succeed?"

"…As to my knowledge."

Tsunade sighed and walked back to her chair. This wasn't good. Jiraiya had warned her of those two criminals, and that bloody organization they were both members of…Akatsuki, was it? They had already made an attempt at kidnapping Naruto, just before she even became the Hokage, and now they've managed to take the Azikuria twins-right from under her nose. "Send a squad of Jonin to track them down. Kakashi Hatake will head the investigation, he's already fought with them once so he's our best asset; tell him he can assemble three others to aid at his choosing. I want him to depart immediately. Go."

Kunyai and Shizune both bowed, and took to their leave.

* * *

><p>-<strong>Akatsuki Base, Unknown, 19:54 p.m.-<br>**

A vague sense of consciousness suddenly washed over me; I didn't quite feel like opening my eyes, partially because I was so damn tired, but also because I didn't really want to see what injuries I'd received from earlier.  
><strong><br>**"Kiame..?"

I took in a low, steady breath-testing how my lungs felt. I was vaguely aware of the voice now calling my name, but it wasn't of importance at the moment. _Deep breath…Ahhhh…at least two broken ribs, no, three…cuts on my hands…hm, those hurt.  
><em>  
>"Kiame, are you awake?"<p>

_Possible fractured wrist, probably just a stress induced sprain...chakra exhaustion…bruises to back…possible abrasion to back of skull._

"Kiame, wake up, now."

_Hm…Definite abrasion…Owh...  
>Bruises, oh, the bruises…They made things worse. Those things hurt like crazy, no matter what way you moved or rolled, they would always ache, not to mention discolour…Great, not only am I going to look like a bloody tomato, but a blackened one at that…<br>_  
>"If you don't wake up Kiame, I swear..."<p>

_That voice. Man, that voice is getting really irritating. I just want to fucking rest, was that too much to ask? I mean, come on. _

"I know you're awake, now get your ass up. We've been captured."

_That's it._ I reared back my leg, it took quite a bit of effort but somehow I still managed, and swung it towards the spot I'd thought the voice was originating from. "Owh! Damnit, Kiame!" I connected. "It's me you fucking _baka_!"

I clenched my teeth and moved to prop myself up, whoever it was needed to be taught some manners, apparently.  
>That was a mistake.<p>

Upon sitting up, an extremely painful electrical shock radiated through both my arms and legs; from what I couldn't be sure, but damn...I screamed.

-"You are so stupid sometimes..."

I rolled my head to the side, careful not to move any of my limbs in the process. The main electrical charge stopped pulsating, but I could still feel minor waves tossing about on my skin-making the injuries from before sting all the worse. The room I was in was dark, from what I could tell, but in the corner I could vaguely see a silhouette propped up against the wall. "…Who?"

"Ayame."

A grin spread from one side of my face to the other, tears even threatened to well in my eyes. After being left to assume the worst, here she was; my sister was here-my sweet, smart-mouth, sister was here-with me, alive. "I'm not stupid…"

I could see a faint grin curl where her mouth should be. "Considering the fact that you just kicked me and tried to jump up with chakra harnesses around your ankles and wrists, I'd say you're pretty…ignorant."

"I am pretty though." I laughed, gently nudging her with my foot.

Her grin widened. "Sure."

"Soooooo," I squinted my eyes and glanced around the darkness; trying to make out what type of room we'd been put in. I couldn't really tell much, again, other than Ayame's position near, what I assumed to be, a wall. Like most cramped, prison-like rooms, there was a faint sound of dripping water and voices off in the distance, but because of the darkness I couldn't tell anything aside from that. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," Ayame stated, "I lost consciousness when they were carrying us through some forest."

"They?"

"Yeah," She coughed. I'd taken assessment of my injuries, but I wonder what kinds she'd gotten..? "A blue guy wielding a sword and that guy I'd warned you about from my dream."

"So he exists!" I smirked.

Even in the dark I could feel my sister's eyes narrow. "Yes, Kia. He exists. And he kidnapped us, like he said he would. Again, like I had warned you about."

"Hmm." I rolled my head back over to face her. "So…we messed up?"

"Not entirely." She mumbled. "It was either fight and take a few risks, or run and put others in danger. We did what we could do in the time we had, that's all."

"I guess you're right…"

"Of course I am, I'm the smart one, remember?"

* * *

><p><strong>-Kumogakure Forest, Approx. 53 Miles from Konohagurke-<strong>

"Still no sign." Pakkun stated, circling around the crouching Konoha-nin.

Kakashi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't been entirely keen on getting assigned this mission-he had only just recovered from one battle, and now here he was being rushed back into another; true, he had experience-but that experience could be a turning point be it the opportunity presented itself. Kakashi sighed; he was starting to believe his hair wasn't naturally gray…"I know. Any report from the others?"

"Bull hasn't called in, Urushi says there's no longer a scent his way so he's starting over towards the East, Shiba and Bisuke haven't found anything but are still searching. Akino is tracking something he thinks may be the girls, and both Guruko and Uhei haven't found the scent."

The silver–haired Jonin patted the pug and stood, wiping the dust from his uniform. "Good job, Pakkun. Tell the others to keep searching."

"Will do."

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

I took in a sharp breath as I leaned my back against one of the clammy concrete walls. In our captors haste, they must have forgotten that both my sister and I were still wounded…Hmm…on second thought, that was probably intentional…Nonetheless-the wounds were still there, still hurting, still bleeding. I moaned and shifted again-there would be no comfort here...

"You devised a plan of escape yet?" Kiame mumbled.

"Not really." I stated, looking down at my sister. Our eyes were now becoming accustomed to the dark, so we knew we'd been here for a few hours at least. The room was small, too small for two people really, and full of damp, suffocating air. The walls seemed to have a constant film of water trickling down them, causing puddles to form along the floor and thus on our bodies, which didn't really contribute to the temperature in the room. Had I of been able to conjure any chakra, I could free us from our prison and we could be on our merry way, but with conditions being as they were and have been, escape didn't seem likely.

"I'm hungry." Kiame whined, rolling over to face me.

As if on cue, my stomach growled in response.  
>"Yeah, me too," I sighed. "I doubt they'll be feeding us anytime soon though."<p>

My sister let out an exasperated sigh and turned to glare at the wall. "You son of a bitches better get in here and feed us!"

My eyes widened.  
>Oh no, no no no <em>she wasn't…<em>she _WOULDN'T…_. "Kia, Hu-"

"I'm fucking hungry!"

I rolled my eyes and nudged her with my feet. Kiame didn't really curse, and it was humorous when she did-seeing as she is my little sister-but still, this wasn't good. "Shut your mouth you stupid baka, don't provoke th-"

* * *

><p>Deidara slammed his cup of sake down on the table and growled. "Would someone please go and shut those two girls up, hmm?!"<p>

Itachi glanced at the eccentric artist then back down the hallway, in the direction of their new guests. They, too, were beginning to get on his nerves.

"Itachi and Kisame are the fucking idiots who brought those two here, it's their damn fault." Hidan snapped, stretching himself out on the couch. "If I had my way, we'd of already fucked and sacrificed 'em by now."

The shark-nin ignored the Jashinists crude comment and pushed himself up from their dining table, leaving Deidara to himself. "You'd think after all this trouble with hurrying to get these girls here, the least Pain could do is meet us and uphold his side of the bargain...I don't like babysitting."

"He'll be here soon enough." Itachi stated, glancing back at the rain now falling outside their base's window.

"Always so cryptic, hm…" The blonde-haired artist stated, poking at his now empty cup.

The Uchiha ignored him.

"One of you should go feed those screaming creatures." Kakuzu stated, taking his leave to the bedding apartments down the hall. He'd had enough excitement for one night. "Maybe they'll stop annoying all of us."

"You ought to do it, Itachi." Kisame smirked as he walked by his partner. "I already had to take it upon myself to take out your objective for you, not to mention carry them all the way here. You might as well feed them."

Itachi turned and met the Mist nin's drunken gaze with a glare. "Watch yourself, Kisame."

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were growing soft, Uchiha, hmm?" Deidara cut in, smirking. "Kisame's having to finish your assignments for you now, after all?"

The Uchiha's eyes started to glow bright red as they met the eyes of the blonde. "When you can prove yourself a challenge to me, Deidara, then speak. Otherwise, learn to keep your mouth shut."

* * *

><p>"HELLO?!"<p>

"Kiame!" I snapped. At this rate, this silly girl would get us killed. "Will you please shut your bloody mouth?!"

"Hey!"

"Please, hush?!"

"Will you guys ever feed us?!"

"Do you want to die, you stupid girl!?"

The yelling suddenly ceased.

My sister sighed and rolled onto her side, staring at the wall. If it weren't for the fact that I was worried about what would happen after this little 'outburst,' I would have felt bad about yelling at her like I had…But, this was a different situation, and we had far more important issues at hand… "I'm hungry…" She whined, sniffling.

"I know…" My stomach growled in eager response. "They should feed us soon. They went through a lot of trouble to keep us both alive after all, so I would wager they will continue trying to keep it like that."

"Hmmm…" Kiame turned to look at me, all traces of sadness gone. "Why would they want us in the first place?"

I laid my head back against the damp concrete. My sister really was something… "You know, I don't really know…" I hadn't really thought about it. Well, that's a lie, I HAD thought about it, but I didn't really think it mattered-I was too busy trying to avoid destruction to the village and citizens. "Our kekkei genkei may be...something, but I doubt that is reason enough to kidnap the two of us like they did. Our heritage is no different than Hyuga or Uchiha, so I doubt clan politics are to blame either."

"Do you think it's anything to do with father? Did he owe these people money or something?" Kia asked.

I shook my head. "No, if they had a quarrel with father that would have been settled with his death. True there's revenge, but these people would have nothing to gain by kidnapping us, not with the clan being practically gone; no one would care. So, that is also out of question."

"What about mother?" I looked down at my little sister, surprised. Neither of us had ever met our mother, and no one ever seemed willing to share any information about her either. She was a complete mystery; name, origin, life, death…It was a stretch, but it could also be an option…"Could she have gotten mixed up with these people before she died?"

"Perhaps."

"You doubt it?"

"I don't necessarily doubt your idea, it just seems unlikely to me." I was really beginning to hate the musty feel of this room-it was giving me a headache. "At what point could a woman of her status have left Konoha to seek men like this out? And even if she HAD been able to, be it through travel or a secondary method, I don't think they would have left either of us be for as long as they had-mind you, that would have to have been a good eighteen years ago..? That's a long time to wait before seeking revenge, in my opinion anyway…Even if we had the clan's protection, it would still have been six years or so."

"You have a point." Kiame mumbled. "C…could someone in the village of wanted us gone?"

"Hmmm…It is also possible. Enough people hate us." I chuckled at the thought. "But again, unlikely. If anyone had even of had the balls to go to someone like this, they either would have been apprehended by some branch of the ANBU for suspicious behavior-and I would have been notified of it-or killed after the transaction and claimed as missing. There's tons of scenarios, really. Besides, even if they had had more than one member of some party wanting us dead, it would have made it even more likely that they would have been stopped and apprehended-Konoha security is too tight, especially when UNDERGROUND is concerned.."

"Good point…I should have thought of that…"

"I guess that's why you're the pretty one and I'm the smart one?" I sent my sister a grin.

She replied with a warm laugh. "I guess so…"

"Kiame," I moved my head so I would look my sister in the eye. "We will get out of this. And I promise you, we will get some damn good food when we do."

She laughed once more. "I'll hold you to that."

* * *

><p>AN: I know it's a little short...:( ...sorry readers...but time hasn't (not like it ever has been) on my side, so, updates are going to be a little slow, I'm afraid...But i'll try my hardest! Believe it! ;D The next few chapters start to get interesting...OnO...I hope..."OnO...so yeah.<p>

Uhm...Thanks for reading and checking out the chapters all you peoples, tis makes my dreary day, lol. :) Hm, If you happen upon the time, Reviews por favour. :)

Otherwise, happy fallz and (soon-to-be) Halloween! :[  
>Hopefully I'll update before then...[:'(<br>well, Bye!

~Aria


	5. Chapter 5: Compliance

**Chapter 5: Compliance**

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><p><strong>AN: And here it is, another chapter! :) enjoy, readers!<strong>

**~Aria**

* * *

><p><em>No matter what I say or what I do,<em>

_I know how this will end._  
><em>So I'm turning away now before we begin.<em>

_And no matter what you say or what you do,_  
><em>I know how this will end.<em>  
><em>So I'm turning away now,<em>  
><em>Because I'm dangerous for you.<em>

_-In This Moment, The Promise_

* * *

><p><strong>-Hokage's Office, Konohagurke-<br>**

Tsunade sighed and ran her hands along her face, trying to wipe away her weariness. Throughout the day, she had managed to take care of most of the urgent affairs in the village, aside from the latest, of course, thus-the poor kuniochi still had a long way to go before she could call it a night.

"You know," The white-haired sannin, Jiraiya-sensei, chuckled and placed a comforting hand on the Hokage's shoulder. Earlier today, upon hearing of an odd kidnapping and reappearance of the infamous duo he had dealt with before, the frog sage was called back to his home village-he was an expert, of sorts, at situations such as these. "You are entitled to sleep at some point, Tsunade. And it is late, after all."

"If you're asking for me to sleep with you," The kuniochi huffed, "The answer is still no."

His cheeks flustered as his hand slowly fell from her shoulder. Shot down again. "…..That's not what I said…"

The two long-time colleagues gazed at each other and chuckled, happy to have found humor at a time such as this, but quickly fell back into their serious discussion when Tsunade broke the silence. "What should I do, Jiraiya?"

"Continue what you have been doing." He stated, "The village hasn't fallen yet. Obviously you're doing something right."

"That's not what I meant…" She paused and glanced back to the window. Tsunade had always loved the way the village had looked at night. It was just so peaceful; the wind blowing comfortably on her skin as she gazed at the moon and stars, counting them slowly as she began to feel drowsiness take her. Regardless of weather, winter aside, leaves could always be found in the sky-rustling through canopies and falling to the grounds below. Some nights, had she been saddened by her days in the village, she would sneak away from her balcony, instead seeking refuge within the familiar smile of her lover's face. He had always found ways of comforting her, when no other seemed to care, and those nights were no exception: someone would tell her she was wrong, he'd tell her she was right; someone would beat her in a sparring match, he'd be there to pick her up and encourage; when fellow student would put down her ideas, he would be there telling her to accomplish her dreams…dreams that had once been his, but restored once more within her. She sighed. "Dan always made it seem so easy…"

"The simplicity of something is often gauged by the passion of the one tackling it, Tsunade." Jiraiya followed her gaze to the blinking lights of the village below. "If being Hokage were a simple job, then we would all hold your position."

"...You and I both know that you should be Hokage right now, Jiraiya."

"You and I both know I'm more fitted for the work I do." The sannin grinned, "Besides, I have too much research to conduct. And being Hokage would just slow me down."

Laughter was exchanged, for the second time, between the two before the gravity of their situation dawned on them once more. "Why were the Akatsuki here…" It was no longer a question.

"To be honest, I don't know." The great frog sannin sighed; he'd pondered that question many a time during this meeting, and many a time before that. "I've been monitoring them for a while, and this move is completely randomized. Sure, the attack on Naruto was understandable-they want Kyuubi, as does every other organization and village from here to the sea...but for them to send the same operatives to the village, within so short of a time between this last attack, it doesn't add up. Not to mention the fact that the target is so confusing as well. The Azikuria twins are sisters of a dying lineage. They hold formidable positions in the village, perhaps, but in no way are they a threat to Akatsuki…So…why?"

"If I knew I wouldn't have called you here." Tsunade stated.

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

"This place is so uncomfortable..." Kiame whined.

I sighed and laid my head back against the wall, trying to ease my throbbing skull; at this point, it was hard to disagree with her…  
>"You know, you look like a caterpillar, lying like that."<p>

Kiame kicked my leg. "I don't want to hear your smartass comments…" She snapped, but I could hear the underlying amusement. In truth, I felt bad for my sister; unlike myself she had been haphazardly thrown into this cell-I had been a little more fortunate, on the other hand, and had been able to at least maneuver myself into a sitting position.

"How do you feel?"

-"Like a million yen…"

I rolled my eyes. "Be serious, Kia."

"You weren't just a minute ago…" She stuck her tongue out at me and grinned. "Eh, I feel about the same. Pretty restless since I can't actually move around…But the bleeding has stopped. The pain is still there too, but it's not really bothering me right now." Her stomach growled.

"They should send someone to check on us soon," I stated, closing my eyes. In truth, I didn't know how much time had passed from our capture to our placement in this room, but I was with my sister on this one…being stuck in the same position for as long as we have was beginning to take a toll on my back and legs. Yeah, I know we are shinobi and should be trained to resist such nuisances, but a concrete floor and damp wall weren't really the best captivity conditions-no matter the prisoner. Not to mention the injuries we both had, which only made matters worse…and the starvation…u "Especially with injuries like yours…and the little scene you put on earlier. If anything we should at least be able to expect some food."

"Yeah…Hopefully."

* * *

><p><strong>-Search PartyKumogakure Forest outskirts, approx. 20 miles out from Akatsuki border-**

**.**

Kakaski sighed. He'd been at this for a while now, and still his hounds hadn't found the scent of the Azikuria girls. With as many as he had on his team, they should have found something by now, or so he had thought.

"Ruki," Kakashi pressed the small radio he had clasped around his neck, transmitting a signal to one of the two others he had in his humanoid search party. Perhaps one of the others had had better luck than he. "Have you turned anything up?"

The radio buzzed and a transmission came broadcasting in. "No, still no word." Ruki paused, "Kunyai passed by my perimeter earlier and he said he hadn't found anything either. You know… We could meet up somewhere and start over again in the morning, or maybe we should try to send message to the Hokage…?"

"I've already sent update to the Hokage. Besides, if these girls were taken within so short of a time, it would be better to continue searching-the scent will still be fresh."

"…Understood."

"That kid trying to chicken out on you?" Pakkun stated, walking around to stand beside his master.

The Silver-haired jonin chuckled to himself; leave it to Pakkun to be so blunt. "No, he's fine." Kakashi stated, "It's understandable for someone as young as he is to want to call it in, but like I said-the scent is still fresh. We can't afford to rest right now. Plus…I've learned my lesson after dealing with Itachi once; we need to stay on him, see what their real plan is. We can't afford time to dawdle. "

"I guess that's my cue to get back to work then." Pakkun smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>-Kiame-<strong>

I fidgeted against the floor, my legs had long since fallen asleep, so at least I couldn't feel them, but my back and wrists were really starting to ache. I don't know if it was from the fall or what, but laying down on the ground like this really wasn't helping the pain. "Ayame…are you awake?"

"Yes, Kia."

"C…_Can_ you sleep?" I asked, curious. I know I couldn't, at this point I'm not even sure it was possible. I know Ayame had had some resting time before our kidnapping, so maybe she couldn't sleep now.

"No. Not for a while, anyway."

I nodded and rolled around on the ground, making an attempt at comfort. I'd felt helpless many a time in my life, but this situation was on its own level of awfulness…

.

'"_Kiame, why are you crying?"_

_I glanced up through watery eyes to see my sister looking down at me. I hadn't heard her come up…But then again, I was also crying. She still had a fresh bruise on her cheek, now swelling to envelop the lower half of her eye. "D…Daddy hurt you…and…I…I couldn't stop him…" I began to sob. Why did he always have to be so mean to her? Why didn't he treat her like his daughter? _

_Ayame laughed and placed a gentle hand on my head. "There was nothing you could do, Silly Kia. You know how daddy can be…"_

_I shook my head and wrapped my arms around her legs. "N…no! I…I was too scared to do anything! I..I could have stopped him!"_

"_It's alright, Kiame. Calm down."_

"_I..It's not! I won't let him hurt you again!" No longer would I be that crying girl in the corner, I found my resolve that day-my nindo, my ninja way. "I'm supposed to protect my sister! T…That's my promise, Aya!"_

"_In that case," My sister smiled and dropped to her knees alongside me, holding up her pinky. "My promise to you, Kiame, is that I will always be there for you, okay? No matter what, at any cost."_

"_S…sisters forever?" I asked, wrapping my pinky around hers. _

"_Sisters forever."_ '

.

"Kiame." I gasped, bringing my memories to a crashing hault. "Kiame, why are you crying?"

I blinked, realizing the tears I had fought so hard to keep contained were now pooling around my face, staining both the floor and my cheeks. "I…"

"It's alright." I could hear the reassuring tone in my sister's voice. She wasn't beside me, but in that moment I felt like she was there with me, holding me like she did that day. It was comforting, knowing after all these years and after all we had been through she was still willing to be there for me.

"I…"

"It's okay," Ayame chuckled. "Lay there and try to get some r-Wait." I looked up at my sister. Her demeanor had completely shifted. Her body was now contorted back against the corner wall, glaring to me then back to the area adjacent of her-practically growling. "A…Ayame?"

"Stop crying, and prepare yourself. Someone's coming."

* * *

><p>.<p>

Itachi stopped outside the prisoner's door, glancing at the chakra seal he and his fellow members had placed along the frame. It was surprising that even though the girls were being deprived of their chakras, they could still sense his approach. Nevertheless, they were becoming an annoyance…

Warily, he re-activated his Sharingan and released the seal; momentarily, anyway. The door opened, flooding bright light into the otherwise black room. Within his immediate sight, was the youngest of the two twins, Kiame, he believed. Her eyes, wide and tear-filled, met his with a fierce hatred, despite the fact that she was still lying upon the floor. Itachi disregarded her look and took a step inside, reactivating the seal; he had grown used to the stares of disgust over his long years upon this earth, one girl's petty look wouldn't sway that. "Can you move?" He asked, lighting a torch to his right.

She shook her head, refusing to speak.

Itachi placed the tray of food he had brought on the floor beside him and shut the door, revealing the hiding place of the other twin. She, unlike her sister, didn't hold the same vulnerable appearance. Her eyes, surprised at first, quickly changed to fierce and blue. This, too, he would disregard. "Can you move?" He asked her as well.

Instead of answering, however, she spat at his feet.

He glanced back at her, refusing to let her childish act go noticed. "No, I take it."

-"Why are you here?"

Itachi turned to see the green-eyed girl, Kiame, staring at him.

"I'm here to feed the two of you. That is what you were yelling for, was it not?"

Kiame's cheeks grew red. How did he know it was her?  
>Grabbing her shoulders, gently-much to her surprise-Itachi pulled her upwards and into a sitting position, placing her back into the closest wall.<p>

-"Don't you dare touch her, scum!"

The Uchiha glanced back over his shoulder to see Ayame, rage-filled and clearly in pain, ready to pounce on him. Inquisition filled him then; she clearly cared for her significant other, but not for herself, or so it seemed, unfortunately for her this game was growing tiresome. "If she were to be left on the ground, she would have asphyxiated upon swallowing her food, girl." Itachi flashed his Sharingan at the holds of the elder Azikuria and she came crashing to the floor, electricity jolting through her body. "I think it wise of you to stay in silence, less you wish for more of what you just received."

"Hey!"

Itachi turned his attention back to Kiame, bringing a chopstick full of ramen to her mouth. "I advise you to eat. None of us wish to hear more of your relentless complaints, and if you wish to stay alive, I suggest complying."

Kiame glared at him, "You wouldn't kill either of us. If you wanted to you jerks would have done it by now."

He placed the ramen back into the bowl, stirred, and brought another mouth-full to her face. His patience was growing thin. "True. Though, in this instance, it would no longer be our fault if you died of starvation. And no, before you say it, it isn't drugged either. Now, open."

Kiame glanced down at the food. He didn't seem to be lying…"The longer you make me wait the longer your sister goes without food." Cautiously, the green-eyed girl opened her mouth-which, in turn, was filled with food. She was hesitant at first, but once her taste-buds caught wind of the succulent pasta, she was literally begging for more. Itachi would wait for her to chew, then swallow-which didn't really take too long-and he would repeat his action; open mouth, ramen, wait, reprise; which continued until her bowl was completely empty. "Are you thirsty?" He asked.

She nodded slowly.

Carefully, he brought a glass of water to her lips and tilted-allowing the beverage to fall into her mouth. When she seemed as though she had had enough, he would allow her time to swallow, ask again if she still wanted more, and would repeat-as he did with the food. "Do you require anything else?"

Kiame shook her head.

"Very well."

With that, the Uchiha placed her dishes alongside the door, and he turned to her sister, Ayame. "Don't you dare." She hissed.

"Are you not hungry?" He asked, slightly amused.

The Azikuria scowled, of course she was, but she _refused_ to let this arrogant ass-hole _feed_ her. She was a respectable shinobi, and there was _NO _way in hell she would sit here and allow herself to be coddled by her _KIDNAPPER_.

"Regardless," Like he had with her sister, Itachi took the girl by the shoulders and placed her into a sitting position, opposite of Kiame. She struggled, but it did little use due to her restraints. "You require sustenance if you wish to live."

"I'd rather die than have you feed me!" She spat.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "You and I both know that if you were to die, you would leave your sister here-alone. If you don't wish for harm to befall her, I advise you open your mouth."

Ayame's eyes narrowed-she was going to call his bluff. They wouldn't dare lay a hand on her sister.

The Uchiha glared, his patience had long since gone. Not only had he had to capture these girls (which backfired due to Kisame's overwhelming arrogance), but now he had to feed them as well-which, in retrospect, was not going as well as he had planned. With one hand, he held the ramen to her mouth, and with the other he took hold on her jaw, forcing her lips to part. She, again, struggled, but ultimately gave up when he shoved the chopsticks into her mouth. Refusing to be outdone by him, she sat there-glaring with a mouthful of pasta; she was hungry, and if her mouth salivated anymore she might even drown, but she would not let this jerk have his way.

"Swallow." He demanded.

She shook her head.

"I said_, swallow_." His hold on her jaw tightened, making her squint with pain-there would surely be a bruise there tomorrow morning.

Again, she shook her head.

Itachi scoffed and glanced back at her sister-his hand hovering above her restraints. "If you do not comply with me, I will electrocute her. And I promise you," He hissed, "I will not be as merciful as I was just a moment ago. Now, _swallow._"

Ayame bared her teeth and, with much effort, finally managed to choke down the food. Itachi nodded and removed his hand from her face, replacing it with another mouthful of ramen. Ayame complied with his actions; open mouth, ramen, chew, swallow, wait for another, then repeat the process. Upon the emptiness of her bowl, he asked her, like he had with Kiame, if she required water. She nodded, and he reiterated the same process he had for her sister, until it too was empty.

"Do you require anything else?" He asked.

Ayame paused for a moment, staring at the man before her, until his question finally registered with her. "…Heal my sister."

The Uchiha cocked his head to the side and glanced back at the girl in question. In the torch-light, there were visible injuries to the girl's legs, and from what his Sharingan could she, she had also suffered from quite a bit of blood loss, mostly from the trauma to her head, but also from wounds to her hands and back. Itachi frowned, despite the many abilities he did have, healing wasn't really one of them. "I cannot." He stated.

"Then bandage her." Ayame hissed, refusing to back down.

Itachi looked at the girl beside him; she had been wounded just as badly as her sister, yet she, like he, was still willing to go to great lengths for her sibling, something that truly impressed him. "With?"

"I'm sure you idiots have some sort of medical kit around this base," Ayame glared. "If not, then use that cloak of yours, something."

"I'm okay, Ayame…" Kia whispered.

Her sister rolled her eyes and . "Like hell you are. Don't argue with me."

"Very well." Itachi stated, beginning to remove his cloak.

The two sisters looked at the man before them in shock; what did he say?

"Hold still." He warned Kiame. He didn't really know why he was abiding to that girl, perhaps out of mutual respect, but either way it still pissed him off. Taking a kunai from his belt, the Uchiha tore the cloak in his hands, creating shreds of cloth long enough to use for bandages. Once he finished, he took his place along Kiame and began to wrap her injuries.

Ayame looked on, wary of his movements. After all that had happened, she was surprised the black-haired man had actually listened to her. This man had tried, and succeeded, in capturing her, after all-favors were no longer required, not at this point.

"There." He stated, rising. "That should prevent further bleeding or infection."

Kiame looked on in shock. First her sister was fighting this guy to no end, now she just asked him to bandage her-and he just…did it, no arguments, no electrocutions…Weird. "U…Uhm, thanks?" She mumbled, trying to find her words.

Itachi disregarded her comment and gathered the dishes from the other girl, placing them, along with the others, upon the tray. As he stood to take his leave, he glanced back at Ayame, flashing his Sharingan as a warning. "I expect you to comply next time we come to feed you, Azikuria."

.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading everyone! :) I hope you enjoyed it!<br>Ohhh, but stay tuned in for the next few chapters...;) things really start to develop then...hahaha...mwuhahahaha...:)...OnO"...yeah.

Uhm, thanks again for those who have been following the story and such :) 'tis much appreciated!  
>Reviews if you wish :)<p>

~Aria


	6. Chapter 6: Strategies

**Chapter 6: Strategies**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another chapter everyone! :D ...It's taking me a little longer to post these...but I'll try to update as fast as possible :)<br>Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>What about us,<br>Isn't it enough?  
>No we're not in paradise…<br>This is who we are,  
>This is what we've got,<br>No it's not our paradise,  
>But it's all that we want and it's all that we're fighting for,<br>Thought it's not Paradise._

_Paradise (What About Us?)- Within Temptation ft. Tarja_

* * *

><p><strong>-Kiame-<strong>

"God, I hate that guy."

I chuckled, careful to avoid my sisters detection. Ayame had been complaining about that black-haired guy ever since he came in and fed us. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't really keen on him either, but I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy the food…I was starving. But then again-why was it he who came in and took care of us? I know there must be others like him here, the blue guy I fought earlier at least, and seeing as they kept mentioning an organization I'm sure there are more. Besides, I'm sure he wasn't told to show kindness to us, especially with my wounds. It's not like he owed my sister or I anything either, he was one of the ones who captured us after all.

"Ayame," I bumped my foot into hers, trying to get her attention. With all of my sister's talk of hating that intruder, I'd forgotten to ask her about how she felt after the chakra ropes had electrocuted her. "Are you okay?"

My sister scowled as she met my eyes. "I'm fine."

I flinched at the way she stressed her words. "What about the chakra ropes? Didn't that hurt you..?"

"I'm _fine,_ Kiame."

"But, y-"

"I'm **fine**, OKAY?"

I bit my lip and turned away, trying to hide my welling tears. I didn't like when Ayame got into these moods…she could be…well, pretty mean. I know we had been in here for a while, and yes, it was a stressful situation, but…I was just curious about how she was doing…that shock looked like it hurt…"Kia," I heard shuffling coming from my left. "Hey." From underneath my hair I could see Ayame's familiar figure scooting over to my side, "I'm sorry imouto-chan, it's just been a long day, okay?"

I sniffled and met my sister halfway, leaning over onto her shoulder. "It's okay…"

"We will get out of this you know," Ayame stated, tilting her head on top of mine. "I promise."

I sighed. Even though I had the comfort of my sister, her words still felt distant…We'd been thinking of ways to escape for the entirety of our time in this prison, but we still hadn't come up with a plan. To me, everything was just starting to feel empty at this point…"I know…"

"What's on your mind?" She asked, nudging me.

"Nothing..."

"Come now, I know you better than that."

"I'm just…curious." I mumbled. "Why…do you think it was that guy who came in and took care of us, instead of the others?"

"I don't know," Ayame's face grew dark. "But we need to be on our guard. If we're going to find a way out of this, we need to try to come up with a plan…"

* * *

><p><strong>-Itachi-<strong>

The raven-haired Uchiha sighed as he gazed out his bedroom window. Normally, he'd try to go out and enjoy the night's rain before he would retire, but he was just so exhausted-it wouldn't be worth it at this point.

"I'm presume the capture was successful?"

Itachi glanced back over his shoulder to find Pain standing near the threshold to his room. "Yes," He answered, somewhat annoyed by the intrusion. "They're in the containment chamber down the hall."

The orange-haired man nodded, pleased. "Alive?"

"Yes."

"And what of their abilities?"

Itachi scowled, "Reasonable. One uses _kasai_, and the other _aisu_."

"As you were informed when you were assigned the mission," Pain stated, turning to take his leave. "I was simply asking if there was more than just elemental power."

The Uchiha turned to face his superior, intrigued. "Is there more?"

* * *

><p>-<strong>Akatsuki Base Outskirts, approx. 14 miles-<strong>

"Do you still have it?" Kakashi stated, pressing the radio on his neck.

A familiar buzz hummed back before a response. "Yes, sir." Kunyai responded. "Coordinates currently six miles due East of your location."

"Is Ruki in transit?" He asked.

-"Yes, sir."

"Proceed to aforementioned marker." Kakashi stated. "We will rondevu there, do not take action until I arrive."

"Understood."

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

"So why didn't you get that guy to patch your wounds?"

I glanced down at my sister, trying to keep my anger at bay. "I'm not letting that man touch me, Kia."

"Yours are just as bad as mine…" She whispered, hurt.

True, it would have been a wise move to get that Itachi guy, or whoever he was, to bandage me-hell, he was the one who did the damage-but, again, I had my pride, and that man would not lay another hand on me. He's lucky he was able to approach my sister, had I of been loose, oh, I promise that arrogant attitude of his would change. "I'm alright. Now, try to rest."

"I can't…" she whined.

"And why not?"

"You're not going to sleep…and I want to be awake with you…"

I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. Kiame really was something. I felt bad for snapping at her earlier…"I'll try to rest too." I nuzzled into her head, making her giggle. "But for now, you need to recuperate. Sister's orders."

She huffed as she cuddled into my arm. "That won't work on me anymore, you know."

"If you say so," I smiled, closing my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>-Hokage Building-<strong>_  
><em>

Tsunade sighed as she leaned back into her chair. "Has there been any word from Kakashi's party?"

"No, ma'am." Shizune stated, bowing as she re-entered her office.

The blonde-haired Kuniochi nodded. Since Kakashi would still be on leave for this mission, she needed to take measures to protect his students…Especially since Naruto had just been targeted by the same organization not months before...And the young Uchiha as well. "I have a job for you."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"I need you to suspend Squad 7 from all upcoming missions."

The young medic's eyes widened, shocked. "U…u-uhm…"

"I don't need Naruto running off to go help Kakashi, nor do I need to deal with Sasuke trying to get his 'revenge.'" The Hokage explained. "They would both be better off not knowing the details of what happened."

"I…I understand, but do you really think they will listen? You know how Naruto is…" Shizune mumbled. "…And we already saw how Sasuke tried to go after Itachi the first time, he won't hesitate the second…"

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

'"_What have you done now, Ayame!?"_

_I lifted my hands up to my face; they were smaller, not quite the size they had been last I remember. The smaller version of myself looked up to the speaker, our father, fear immediately coursing through her body. He was towering over me, fist coiled and ready to strike. "I…I didn't mean to, Oto-san…"_

"_You little liar," His bright green eyes burned with rage as his hand connected with my face. I cried out, surprised by the force of his strike. He had done it a million times, but the act itself had never ceased to surprise me. Father's weren't supposed to hurt their children, after all. "Tell the truth! You were there when Kiame was hit, were you not?!" _

_The tiny child's body I now inhibited no longer had the strength to stand-she just laid there on the ground, crying out to her father. Why did I never try to fight back? I was more powerful than him... "I…I couldn't do anything, Oto-s...san…" Tears began to roll down my cheeks. "W…We aren't supposed to intervene during sparring w…with other students…It's r…required for us to m…move up in rank…"_

"_So you want to be stronger than your sister, is that it?!" He yelled. The sound of his approaching footsteps made the smaller me sob even harder._

_"N…No, Oto-san..! I…I couldn't—"_

_"You want to surpass her?! You want her to die?!" The footsteps were getting closer. "You selfish little bitch! I'll show you what pain really is!"'_

"Ayame!"

I gasped, desperately trying to block the onslaught of attacks that I knew would be arriving at any time now. Clenching my teeth, I tensed my body-trying to build up a barrier to block the pain. Rather than physical attacks, however, I was greeted with a different sequence of assaults. Trying to bite back my screams, I felt my body veer down into the concrete-spasming from the electricity now pulsing up through my arms and into my chest. "Ayame?!"

Closing my eyes, I began to prepare for the worst, but just as quickly as the pain came, it went-leaving me laying in the cold concrete-heaving and empty.

"N-nii-chan, please answer me."

"I'm okay," I choked as blood began to fall out from of my mouth. How disgraceful…Not only had I overreacted and fallen victim to the damn ropes, again, but I had hurt myself in the process.

I heard Kiame breathe in a sigh of relief. "What happened..?"

-"It was just a bad dream."

"Oh…"

"Yeah." I stated, sighing as well. I never would have expected the chakra ropes to react to my body in that way-but then again, I'm sure what chakra I did have managed to spike during my dream, making the shock even worse than normal. Wait. That's it. "Kiame," I glanced up at my sister through my bangs, trying to lock eyes. "Do you have any chakra right now?"

My sister gave me a confused look. "Why?"

"Answer me."

"Well, maybe a little? But not enough to do any jutsu or anything, besides-the ropes, remember?"

I rolled my eyes; she was clearly referring to the fact that I'd just electrocuted myself. "Yes, I know, the ropes."

"Then what are you getting at?" She stated.

"I think I found a way to get out of here."

* * *

><p>-<strong>Approx. 10 Miles out of Akatsuki base outskirts-<strong>

Kakashi came to a hault among the trees, dropping down into the foliage just before his rondevu point. His teammates, Kunyai and Ruki, were just below him, waiting for his arrival. "Yo."

The two beneath the silver-haired jonin nodded as he jumped down to join them. "Kakashi."

"So what have you found, Kunyai?"

The ANBU in question ran his hands through his sandy brown hair, glancing at his superior nervously. "Well earlier, when Urushi was travelling with me he caught a scent he thought was the girl's, so we started to trail it."

"And?" Ruki prodded.

"It stops here," Urushi stated, stepping out of the forest. "It doesn't make any sense though. The scent was so strong, and it still is, but it doesn't go any further than here." The dog stiffed as he approached a set of rocks adjacent of the men.

"Perhaps there is some jutsu cast to hide the scent? So no one could track them?" Ruki mused.

Kakashi shook his head as he joined Urushi. "I don't think that's the case. If they were worried about being tracked, there wouldn't have been a scent that lead us here to begin with." The silver-haired nin frowned as he ran his fingers over the ground. From the looks of it, someone had stopped here, and for an extended period of time, no less. "Urushi, I need you to gather the others and tell them to meet me here."

"Understood, boss." And the dog vanished into the forest.

Kakashi grimaced. Something about this didn't add up. "Why would their tracks vanish…" The jonin glanced around the area, investigating the trees and sky. _'That's odd..'_ "Kunyai?"

"Yes?"

Kakashi stood and stepped away from the prints. "Don't you find it strange that the wind stops right here?"

Both the ANBU and Ruki began glancing around the clearing, suddenly aware of what the jonin had said. Neither the wind, nor animals or any other form of life could be found around the area in which they were in-it was as if the world had stopped just beyond the trees. "Y..yeah?"

"Don't you specialize in wind techniques?" Ruki asked, clearly trying to prod at the fact his teammate hadn't sensed it sooner.

Kunyai glared at him. "What about it."

"Perfect." Kakashi smiled. "I want you to use a jutsu to break down," He pointed back to the area where the prints were, "This barrier."

* * *

><p><strong>-Sasuke-<strong>

The raven-haired boy frowned as he gazed around his hospital room-he'd been trapped here for weeks now, and he was growing restless. Naruto was getting stronger by the minute, and here was stuck here in this room-no training, no revenge. Sasuke growled as he tried to sit up, his ribs immediately screaming in response, but he didn't care. Itachi was still out there, and he needed to get stronger if he would ever stand a chance at killing his brother.

"S…Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha scoffed as he heard a small, familiar voice call to him. "Get out of here, Sakura."

The pink-haired kuniochi frowned. "I…I was just worried about you. Tsunade said you should be back on your feet in the next week or so…I thought I'd bring you some lunch…"

Sasuke glanced down to the small bundle of apples she held cradled in her lap. Two of the red fruits had already been sliced and placed on a plate by his bedside-undoubtedly for him. "I don't want anything."

Sakura frowned. "Well, uhm, I can just leave them here, for when yo-"

"Where is Naruto?" He snapped, cutting her off.

The kuniochi's eyes widened. She'd grown used to Sasuke's constant inquires about their teammate-she almost looked forward to them, seeing as she couldn't get much conversation out of him otherwise. "He's been training with Jiraiya-senpai. I haven't really seen him around lately…"

Sasuke growled. Anger was beginning to boil inside him…So he was right-Naruto was out there, getting stronger and stronger-while he, as said before, was stuck in this hospital bed, barely able to move. It was infuriating. "Get out of the way."

"I-" Sakura tried to protest as the Uchiha forced himself out of bed, making his way to the door-but he continued on, determined. "Y…You need to get back into bed!"

"Don't try and stop me!" He snapped, opening the door.

The kuniochi bit her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay. Sasuke had grown more and more hostile the longer he had stayed in this room, and it had only gotten worse since his battle with Itachi. It pained her to see him like this-she loved him after all, and she only wanted to help him…couldn't he see that?  
>"Alright, Sasuke-kun…"<p>

* * *

><p><strong>-Ayame-<strong>

"There's no way you're serious?" Kiame stated, bewildered.

"I am?" I stated, rolling over to face her. "Completely."

"You must have hit your head harder than I thought..." She mumbled. "There's no way to get out of here, we've tried."

"Not everything." I stated. Since when did Kiame start questioning my ideas? "I have a plan."

Kiame scowled.

-"Now, can you pull on your restraints? Any at all?"

My sister continued giving me a look, clearly not believing a word I had said, but she tried nevertheless. "Well, they give a little, but not enough to slip my hands or legs through-not unless I want to be electrocuted."

"Good." I grinned. "And you said you have chakra, right?"

Kiame rolled her eyes, tired of my game. "Yes, Ayame, I have chakra. Now explain what it is that you're planning."

"These ropes that bind us are chakra sensitive," I stated. "So the more chakra they sense, the worse the shock, right?"

"I guess?"

"So what if we used very little? I'm talking, precise, miniscule amounts?"

Kiame shrugged. "I don't know?"

"If my theory is correct, we can try feeding little bits of our chakra into these ropes-and I'm talking _very_ little, you just saw what happens if you try feeding in more than it can handle," I explained. "And if we feed in the right amount there's a possibility that we could cut the fibers from the inside out-meaning, in short, they'd break."

"That doesn't sound like a solid plan to me," Kiame shook her head. "How do you know a smaller amount won't electrocute you anyway?"

"Our bodies give off certain amounts of chakra regardless-just because of our abilities as a shinobi." I stated. "So feeding in around 10% more shouldn't do anything but benefit our escape. But it has to stay at 10%; if it's too weak it won't work and there's no way it will ever break through-you'll just end up wasting the little bit you can muster-and if it's too strong…well, you know."

My sister scowled. "These are chakra bindings though, Aya, I'm pretty sure they would be able to sense chakra being fed into them-especially foreign chakra."

I let out a sigh; I was beginning to get somewhat annoyed that Kiame had shot my plan down so quickly. Seriously, when did she stop blindly following my plans? "I don't know then…"

"What about your kekkei genkei?" Kiame asked, "Or even mine?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think I have an idea," She stated. "It still uses some of your plan, but I think I'm going to put a better spin on it."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's hear it then."

* * *

><p><strong>-Akatsuki-<strong>

"Those two are being awfully quiet today," Sasori mused, taking a place on one of the living room couches. It was true-neither of the girl's had made any attempt to yell for the men-a welcome sight, in comparison to the incessant whining from yesterday.

"Perhaps Itachi finally struck some fear into those ungrateful girls." Kisame chuckled, glancing over at his teammate. The Uchiha in question ignored him, focusing instead to the scroll now outstretched in his lap. "You know, you never told us what happened to those two when you went to feed them, Itachi?"

Hidan, who had been busy drinking in the kitchen, left his station to come listen in to the other member's conversation. "Did you kill any of 'em? Did they scream?"

"Our objective was to keep them alive," Itachi stated, annoyed. "So no, they're not dead."

Sasori sighed. "That's a shame…They would have been great additions to my collection…"

The Jashinist rolled his eyes. "All you ever think about are those creepy dolls anyway, freak."

Itachi scowled-normally he had the patience to deal with these idiotic conversations among his fellow members, but he was growing tired of these games. Still, the Uchiha's curiosity was peaked. His discussion from the following night with Pain hadn't answered all of his questions-and his leader wasn't about to give him answers, not yet anyway.

"What's going on in here, yeah?" Deidara asked, walking through to the couch now containing his partner, Sasori. He took a seat alongside him, causing the puppet-master to scowl.

"We're trying to get Itachi to tell us about these new toys he fed yesterday." Hidan smirked.

"Hm," Deidara grinned as well, intrigued by these girls. "I suppose I'll have to go and feed them today then, yeah, see what they're all about?"

"Be my guest," Kisame sighed, taking off towards the dormitory halls. This conversation would be going nowhere. "I'm not feeding those brats."

Sasori sighed again. "I wish Pain-sama would give the order to eradicate them already…"

"He said they are to be kept alive," Itachi snapped, sending the red-haired boy a dangerous glare. "And so they will be kept."

Deidara, finding the entire situation in humor, burst into laughter. "Since when do you obediently take orders from Leader-senpai, Uchiha, hm?" Itachi glanced in Deidara's direction, but refused to answer. "I guess I will feed them then, hmmm," He continued to laugh. "And if one of my creations just happens to go off, then I suppose it would simply be an unfortunate accident."

"Then it would be the last thing you'd do, Deidara."

The group of bickering Akatsuki glanced up to see their superior, Pain, and his partner, Konan, standing in the doorway. Itachi scowled as the two's eyes met-he knew Pain was still hiding something from him-and he was determined to find out what. "L…Leader-sama…" Deidara stammered. "Uhm..."

"The will of Pain is the will of God, Deidara." Konan stated. "We do not question, and we do not disobey."

The blonde glared at the woman.  
>Man, did he hate her.<p>

"Zetsu has just informed me that there has been a breach in the barrier." Pain stated suddenly, causing the room to grow quiet.

"Barrier?" Hidan asked.

"The thing that conceals this base from wanderers." Sasori snapped, rolling his eyes at the Jashinist's ignorance.

"Zetsu is in route to eradicate the intruders. I trust he will take care of our problem, but," Pain turned to leave. "Nevertheless-I want you all on guard. None are to enter, none are to escape." He stated, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So...Yeah, there are a lot of prov. changes in this one...sorry, hahaha. Anyways, I hope you guys like it! New updates to come! And this next one...well, you'll see ;D<strong>

**Uhm, I hope everyone had a great halloween! :D Mine was pretty awesome, lol, even though it was extremely cold...yeah. lol. **

**I just want to say a super special thanks to _SilverWolfMadien _for the reviews and support! Check out her Naruto story if you guys get the chance! :D**

**Also, thanks again for reading and following, guys! :D**

**~Aria**


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